Twilight: Aussly twist
by debisanacronym1
Summary: After finding out that he was adopted, Austin rebels and decides to go to Italy to find his parents. But when he gets there he finds out exactly why his parents had to give him away...
1. Chapter 1

**Austin**

"So I keep having these really weird dreams that all of us are going to this rainy place and men with pitch black cloaks. There is also three little girls and wolves as big as horses gaurding them...what do you think Ally?" I asked her.

"Well I think you should get off the counter and its only a dream. I'm sure it means nothing." she poked me with her pencil and I sliped off the cheak-out counter.. I sat down on the chair and something started happening I started to see stuff..

_*flash back*_

_"Its going to be okay" said a hooded figure with a beautiful voice._

_"They'll take good care of you." the hoodedperson placed me down infront of a door. Then like magic they she was gone. I saw someone open the big white door. She had big blue eyes and long flowing blonde hair. Its my mom! She looked down then picked me up._

_"Were did you come from?" she looked around._

_"Lets get inside before you catch a cold." she carried me inside._

_*end flash back*_

I gasped.

"Ally!" I called out.

"Yeah Austin!" she ran over to me "I think I'm adopted." I said in a soft quiet voice.

**Guys try and guess who the hooded person is! Tell me through reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Austin**

I walked into my house. My parents were sitting on the sofa reading one of those pagey thingies... uh... books! That's what they are!

"Hey guys?" I asked.

"Yes?" they said in unison.

"Am... Am I adopted?" their faces dropped.

"Austin..." my mom started

"It's not true right." I cut her off.

"We wanted to tell you we just didn't think you were ready." dad said

"This is a joke right ,because if it is its fucked up." my eyes started to go blurry.

"You were getting so popular you were almost at your dream!"mom started saying

"I can't believe this!" I throw my bag to the ground and ran up to my room bailing my eyes out. I locked the door behind me.

**Ally**

I was in my room with Dallas making out when the phone started ringing. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I said.

Dallas started kissing my neck. I giggled.

"Oh my fucking god All I'm freaking out!..." Dez yelled into the phone.

"Wait Dez slow down! Whats wrong." I could hear him crying through the phone.

"Austin left!" he sobbed

"Wait what do you mean he left?!" I starting getting really worried.

"I can't explain over the phone... Ally you have to come help me I can't live with out my Austin!" he sobbed through the phone. I can imagen tears falling down his face, as he cries through the other side of the phone.

"Ok just calm down. Were are you?" I asked him.

"I'm at his house." he answered.

"Ok stay there and me, Trish, and Dallas will meet you there in five minutes." I shut my flip phone.

"Whats wrong?" Dallas asked. I turned to him.

"Austins gone missing." I told him. He looked shocked. I then got up and put my shoes on.

I tossed Dallas's shirt to him "Put it on were going to his house." I said.

**Austin**

I sat down in the air port with my bag. I'm going to Italy. I don't know why but something is telling me to go to Italy. Like mabe I'll find some answers their.

"Flight 47 to Volterra, Italy is now boarding." said the flight woman.

I picked up my bag.

Italy here I come.

**So that's chapter two and... wow! I mean I actually thought nobody really cared ,but you guys obviously do! I mean it was really just an idea I had. I mean it had bad grammar only like twelve sentences and I thought I get a lot of hate for it ,but you proved me wrong so I absolutely promise to update soon. Also! Tell me what day of th week I should update a new chapter on. So like for ex. every Tuesday I'll update a new chapter or something like that. and.. I geuse that's it rate and review and I'll see you guys later.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Austin POV**

On the plane I couldn't help but think... why the hell am I doing this?

_"Maybe you'll find some answers." _a small female voice in my head said.

_"Or maybe I'm going insane." _I said back to it.

"Please buckle your seat belts passengers. We are now landing in Volterra." I heard the flight women say.

she it said again in italian. I buckled my seat belt as we slowly landed into the Ancient city.

**Ally's POV**

We all sat down in the living room wondering what we should do. Just sitting there in silence. Out of no ware my phone started ringing

"Hello?" I asked

"Hey it's me." a voice said.

"Wait... Austin? is that you?" every one in the room looked at me.

"Yeah its me." he said.

"Were are you we've been waiting here for hours!" I stood up.

"I'm in italy." he said.

"Your were?!" I almost yelled.

"Volterra Italy to be exact." he said.

"Why would you go to Volterra?" I asked

"I just had a wierd feeling about it. Tell my parents and every one else I love them and that I probably wont be coming back." he said.

"No Austin don't talk like that." I said near tears

"Bye Ally." he hung up. I put my phone in my pocket.

"What did he say!" Trish demanded.

"He wanted to say he loved us and that he probably wont be coming back." I replied quietly.

"I knew that this was gonna happen." said

"What do you mean by that?" I asked confused.

"15 years ago... Austin was left on our door step in basket. With a red ribbon wrapped around it and a medallion around his neck." he said.

" There was also a note." said through her tears.

"Right." he said.

"Well what did the note say?" Trish asked.

"We don't know. Its written in italian." she said again.

"Let me see these things." I said. went upstairs for a few minutes then came back with black basket.

"Woa... this basket looks as though it's from the B.C period." I said when it was handed to me.

"We know." they said in unison.

I opened the basket and there like they said was a red ribbon, a medallion, and a note.

I opened up the folded note.

"I-I can translate this." I said half astonished.

"You can?!" everyone in the room gasped.

"How?" Trish demanded.

"Remember when we had our pen pales?" I asked.

"Yeah." she said as if it was a obvious thing.

"Remember mine was from Italy. He always would send me two letters. One in English and one in Italian. After a while I started to see a pattern. Pretty much to the point were I didn't even need the letter written in English" I said.

"So tell us what it says!" Dez asked. I started reading the note out loud.

_************************************the letter******************************************** *************_

"_To Whom Ever It May Concern,__  
><em>

_I cry as I write this letter. _

_Tell him every day you love him and that he means the world to you..._

_Because he means the world to me._

_sincerely,_

__ Voltori._

**_***************************************the end of the letter*******************************_**

The name had been crossed out.

"Who's the name?" Trish asked.

"I don't know." I said.

"They crossed out their name."

"Oh Harold! What are we going to do?" Mrs. Moon said then buried her head in her husbands chest. I looked down at the letter. Then it dawned on me. I picked up my purse and counted how much money I had.

"Ally what are you doing?" my dad asked me.

"I'm going." I said

"Your going were?" Dez asked. He got up and started walking tors me.

"Volterra."

**A.N. Cliff hanger! I did NOT see that coming. ****Lol yes I did! I know everything that's happening next...****So AAAaannnnyyyyywwwwaaaaay I still have yet got a date on wich I will post up a chapter every week. ****So yeah review and tell me when to post up new chapterss. Also remember I love criticism and hate mall! :) ****No I'm just kidding I hate hate mall...****But seriously don't send me any.****Ok P.M or review to me if you any suggestions at all. I'll try to fit them into the fic as much as I can. ****So that's it I guess..**

**BROFIST! :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**/_Volterra_/**

**Austin**

I sat down on the curb of the air port side my stomach started growling. I looked at the McDonald's sign inside the air port.

_"I need some money." _I thought to myself.

Then I got an idea. I stood up and walked away from the curb and near a big crowd of people. I pulled out my guitar that I brought with me. I opened up the case and put it next to me. I started strumming the guitar just then everyone looked at me. I stared to sing one of my favorite songs that Ally and me wrote.

_************begin song************_

_**You're always on my mind  
>I think about you all the time<br>Um, no**_

**_Let's not talk about it_**  
><strong><em>Drama: we can live without it<em>**  
><strong><em>Catch a wave if we're bored<em>**  
><strong><em>There's a clock we'll ignore<em>**  
><strong><em>Find a way around it<em>**

**_Hey girl, I can tell there's something_**  
><strong><em>Even when you say it's nothing<em>**  
><strong><em>When you're playing with your hair<em>**  
><strong><em>Like you just don't care<em>**  
><strong><em>It's a tell you're bluffing<em>**

**_Now please don't take this the wrong way_**

**_I love the things you do_**  
><strong><em>It's how you do the things you love<em>**  
><strong><em>Well it's not a love song, not a love song<em>**

**_I love the way you get me_**  
><strong><em>But correct me<em>**  
><strong><em>If I'm wrong<em>**  
><strong><em>This is not a love song, not a love song<em>**

**_I love that you bought a ticket_**  
><strong><em>And you don't make me watch a chick flick<em>**  
><strong><em>We've come so far<em>**  
><strong><em>Being just the way we are<em>**  
><strong><em>If its not broke... don't fix it<em>**

**_I can't guess the meaning_**  
><strong><em>When you don't say what you're feeling<em>**  
><strong><em>If you got a broken heart,<em>**  
><strong><em>You can punch me in the arm<em>**  
><strong><em>Now that's what you're needing (that's what you're needing)<em>**  
><strong><em>Don't take this the wrong way:<em>**

**_I love the things you do_**  
><strong><em>It's how you do the things you love<em>**  
><strong><em>Well it's not a love song, not a love song<em>**

**_I love the way you get me_**  
><strong><em>But correct me<em>**  
><strong><em>If I'm wrong<em>**  
><strong><em>This is not a love song, not a love song<em>**

**_I don't speak girl_**  
><strong><em>Like "Hey girl!"<em>**  
><strong><em>I don't quite understand a manicure<em>**  
><strong><em>But you're the only friend I'd take a shower for<em>**  
><strong><em>And I would hold your bags when you go shopping<em>**  
><strong><em>What a guy!<em>**  
><strong><em>What a guy!<em>**

**_I love the things you do_**  
><strong><em>It's how you do the things you love<em>**  
><strong><em>The way you sing it,<em>**  
><strong><em>Put me through it<em>**  
><strong><em>I guess I always knew it (I Always knew)<em>**

**_I love the way you get me_**  
><strong><em>But correct me<em>**  
><strong><em>If I'm wrong<em>**  
><strong><em>This is not a love song, not a love song<em>**

**_I love the things you do,_**  
><strong><em>It's how you do the things you love<em>**  
><strong><em>But it's not a love song (no, definitely not a love song)<em>**  
><strong><em>Not a love song<em>**

**_I love the way you get me_**  
><strong><em>But correct me,<em>**  
><strong><em>If I'm wrong<em>**  
><strong><em>This is not a love song (it's not a love song)<em>**  
><strong><em>Not a love song<em>**  
><strong><em>This is not a love song (it's not a love song)<em>**  
><strong><em>Not a love song<em>**  
><strong><em>This is not a love song (it's not a love song)<em>**  
><strong><em>Not a love song<em>**

**_**************end song*********_**

There was a small cheer and money got thrown onto my guitar case. I smiled and took a small bow. I played two more songs and then collected what was on the guitar. I was just about to go inside when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see a pale _(and I mean pale) _girl. She was real beautiful... but she couldn't com pair to Ally.

Ally... My heart dropped, when I thought about the distance between us.

"Si gioca splendidamente." she said. I frowned.

"I'm sorry... I don't speak-"

"Oh right I'm sorry!" she cut me off.

"No its ok." I said smiling. I started to put the money in my wallet.

"I said that you played beautifully." she said looking down and semi blushing. I scratched the back of my head and blushed. I smiled a toothy grinn at her.

"So do you have a place to go?" she asked me. I looked at her. How did she know-

"I have a really big house. More like a Castle really... I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind having you stay for a few days." she said.

"Umm I'm sorry I would but I'm not from here... and I don't even know your name-"

"Come on I'll even give you a tour of the city." she said. I was about to say no when she looked into my eyes. Next thing I knew I was in a cab.

**/**

**an: So How was this chapter?.. Yes I know I'm extremely late but I was busy with**

**school. I promise that it won't happen again.**

**Rate and review please! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**_/Miami/_**

**Ally  
><strong>

"Trish look through this box." I said as I set a box in front of her. She rolled her eyes and put the fashion magizen she was reading to the side of her.

"Austin will be back Ally I'm sure he's just going through a weird phase or something... He'll be back any day now." she grabbed her fashion magizen. I nodded my head no without looking at her.

"No he sounded really sure of himself when we were talking on the phone." she was about to say some thing when Dez walked through the door.

"Ok Ally I'm here how can I help?" Dez asked me. I looked over at him.

"Hey Dez. Take that box and bring it up to the break room." he nodded to me then took the box upstairs. I looked at Trish who was looking back at me with sympathy.

"When you decide to help us... we'll be upstairs looking through letters." I grabbed the other box and headed upstairs. When I got upstairs Dez had already opened the box and was looking though it. I walked over and set mine next to his.

"Hey." we shot our heads to the door way. Trish stood there with a pocket knife in her hand.

"You'll need this to open the boxes." I smiled as she walked into the room. She sat down next to me.

"So explain to me how looking through these old letters will help us find Austin." she asked.

"Well in one of these letters David sent me his number. He asked me to call him when I had saved up enough money to visit him." I said taking the knife from her.

"So you have the money to go to Italy?" she asked me.

"Well... we'll work out that bug when we get there." she laughed as I opened the box.

**_/Italy/_**

**Austin**

The cab stopped and the girl took my hand. We started through a crowd of people with red cloaks. I was really confused as to why they were wareing red cloaks when it was like 83 degrees out.

"Why is everyone in red?" I asked out of curiosity. She turned and looked out the window of the car.

"Its S.t. Aros day. Its the day when a Saint drove all the vampires out of the city and saved us all." she said. I rolled my eyes. She must have saw me because she shoot her head over at me.

"What?" she snapped. I sighed.

"Vampires don't exist. They're just a myth. An urban legend." I said then looked back to all the people.

"I beg to differ." she said in a low quite voice. I'm not gonna lie... it kinda creeped me out. What did she mean by _"I beg to differ."_? I felt as if she wasn't telling me something. I was about to ask her what she ment by that but then the cab came to a halt. The driver said something in Italian to us then we got out of the cab.

**/**

**CLIFF HANGER! ;) Not gonna tell what happens next... ,BUT you can guess in the reviews! :) Catch ya later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**_/Miami/_**

**Ally  
><strong>

It was 3:00 am in the morning and we were still searching through letters.

"Alllllllyyyy... I'm soooo tired..." Trish winned and slumped into her box. I was fighting to stay awake to ,but I need to find this letter.

"Were almost there Tish I can-" I yawned "- feel it." she did something between a groan and a growl. I was almost about to pass out when-

"I FOUND IT!" Dez screamed scaring the ever-loving-shit out of the both of us. We rushed over to Dez and by "rushed" I mean zombie shuffled over to him. I took the letter from him. My eyes widened and I was totally awake.

"This is it.. THIS IS THE LETTER!" I yelled out. We started jumping up and down and yelling with happiness and excitement. From the corner of my eye I saw tears in Dez's eyes.

"Ok. Ok." I said trying to calm them both down. The stopped jumping and started to calm down. I saw Dez wipe his eyes.

"Tomorrow were gonna call David ,but now were going to sleep." they nodded their heads then we all went to sleep.

_**\Italy\**_

**Austin**

The driver stopped and said something Italian to us. We got out and the girl grabbed my hand. I then realised that I didn't get her name. I was about to ask what it was ,but then she pulled me into an ally way. I was confused as to why we were here. Then before I knew it. I had gotten pinned against a wall. Her hands were absolutely crushing my arms. She let out a small smile the squeezed my arms with as much force I thought a person could have. I heard a cracking sound and I screamed in agani.

"W-why are you doing this to me?!" I said screaming. He eyes went black.

"Because.I' ..." she said. She opened her mouth. I saw my life flash before my eyes.

" Tisk. Tsk .Tsk." I heard a female voice say. I snapped my head in the direction of the voice. I saw three hooded figures. There clocks were black in color unlike the red ones everyone else was wearing. The girl dropped me and i fell to the ground.

"You do know it is **_illegal_** to hunt in Aros city... Don't you?" the femal voice said again. The girl started backing up.

"But Jane... he's an American. Surley he doesnt count.." she said nervously while backing up.

"Still!" she said firmly.

"It is a disgrace. Felix. Alec." the two bigger ones looked at the girl.

"Take care of that. I'd like to go home now." the girl had a look of shock on her face she started to run of at inhumanly speeds and the two others followed her. The girl looked at me with her hood still up. She sighed. She came over to me and kneeled down next to me. She looked at me with her blood read eyes. By now I was completely scared shitless.

"Who are you?" she asked me in awe. I struggled to talk ,but eventually I said

"A-A-Austin Moon." I said I then passed out from the intense pain.

**Sorry I was late but i had alot of things on my plate.**

** So tell me if you like that chapter or not and leave any suggestions if you have them. **

**I geusse thats it. Bye!**


	7. Chapter 7

**\_Italy\_**

**Austin**

I woke up in a dark room. I looked around. Everything was either black or red. I tried lifting up the sheets that were covering me ,but my arms were so sore it felt like I was trying to break cement. I sat up after a few more attempts and got a better look at my surroundings.

"Were am I?" I said thinking out loud. Just the door opened. I saw a girl. She was beautiful. Perfect. In human. Still at no match for Ally. My Ally.

"Hello." she finally said. I nodded back to her. She sat down next to me. I inched a little ways away from her. I knew what she was.

"I know why your here." she said. I shot my head at her and stuffeld a laugh. _**I didn't know why I was here.** _She turned to me.

"Your here to find your parents." I looked back at her shocked. Then I thought it over. I geause... I was here to find my parents. But why would I look here? She reached into her pocket and pulled out a medallion, much like the one on her neck. I grabbed it and studied it intensely. I ran my fingers over the 'V' on it.

"Its so familiar..." I said still looking at it.

"But I've _never_ seen it before." I said in a whisper. She sighed. I looked at her, she looked back then took my hand. She lead me to the mirror hanging above the dresser. I looked in it. I think in that moment I could have passed out.

**_/Miami/_**

**Ally**

After we found the letter we went to my house and slept. Dez slept in the geaust room. While me and Trish slept in my room. I woke up at 8:00am and couldn't fall asleep ,so i decided to make some breakfast for when everyone woke up. I walked past the geaust room and heard a faint moan. I stopped. I was curious so I opened the door a crack. I covered my mouth at what I saw. Dez and some tall tan **GUY** were making out. I slowly closed the door right when the tall guy slide his hand down Dez's colourful pajama pants makeing him squeel. I went to the bathroom and and sat down on the toilet trying to clear up my blush.

_'I can't believe it.' _I kept saying to myself.

_'Dez is gay' _


	8. Chapter 8

**\_Italy\_**

**Austin**

I looked at the splitting image of us. I had her hair and nose. I looked back to her.

"So your my-"

"Yes" she said cutting me off. I was completely and utterly shocked. She looked no older than me... maybe even younger. I stumbled over to the bed.

"Am I?-"

"Like us?" she asked cutting me off again. I got irritated.

"Quit cutting me off." I said. She chuckled a bell-like laugh. It was extremely pretty ,but it pretty in a way that when she laughed I also got really scared. She stopped and sat down next to me.

" My name is Jane Aendra Bruno Voltori ." she said. He put her hand on my knee acwardly. I knew what she was trying to do and beleive me you It was not working. I barely even knew her and I was extremely mad. I moved my leg away from her then laid down on the bed. She stood up and sighed.

"Whats wrong?" she asked.

"Well except for the major part which would be that my birth mother is a demon-"

"Wait what?" she asked me, cutting me of... again. I sat up and looked at her.

"That's what you are right? Your-" I searched for the right word "- kind? " she looked at me she got a huge smile on her face then started to laugh histariclilly.

"What?" I asked clearly confused. She settled down a little bit.

"Well... I guess I should give you props you got it a little right." she looked at me then emidiotly stopped when she noticed how confused ( and frightened) I was. She came sat next to me again and a second time I scooched away from her.

"My uh... people. We arnt demons-"

"Well then what are you?" I asked cutting her off.

"I'm getting to that!" she snapped at me I smiled at her reaction. She looked back at me with something in her eyes. I couldn't explain what it was yet but it was etreamly intense.

"Were vampires. We drink blood. We don't eat or age and we're imortal." she said laying down the basics that _evryone _already knew...

"And we can't have children." I shot a look at her.

"Then how-"

"I don't know." she said with sad look.

"When I found out. I thought you were gonna be only half human. A compleatly new race never seen before... ,but then you were born." I saw a sadding look in her eyes.

"I thought that maybe if I sent you away..." she paused and sucked in a breath.

"That maybe if you never met me you cou-" I wrapped my arms around her and forced her against my chest. I rubbed circles on her back and said soothing nothings as she cried into my chest. I rested my cheek on the top of her head. It was weird... I knew for a fact that she was genuinely crying ,but the're were no tears. I felt none. Then I heard the door open a crack.

"Jane we-" I looked up to see a huge man with a bellowing voice. He also had the look of pure embarrassment on his face.

"Sorry." he said then quickly left the room. Jane didn't look up or ignollege the fact he was even here she just stayed in that position dry sobbing into my chest.

**Felix **

I closed the door and left as fast as I probably could. I was running then something stopped me. Alec.

"Felix what wrong." he took a closer look at me.

"You look flustered." he said.

"Uh... I went to go check on Jane ,because after we had taken care of the newborn she and the human the newborn was with was gone." he nodded. I scratched the back of my head.

"Well um... when I opened the door to her room... she ... uh..-"

"Spit it out Felix." he said getting annoyed.

"They were like... embracing each other." he looked at me like I had 6000 heads and was brathing fire.

"That's bullshit." he said to me then started to leave.

"Its true!" I yelled back at him ,but he was already gone. Just then my phone started ringing. I sighed then answerd it.

"Ciao?" I said into the phone.

"Hey David. It's me Ally."

**a.n so I'm gonna stop the chapter here because I wanted to ask you guys something... were are the reviews going? Was it because last capter was a bad chapter? If it was you can at least tell me and I'll try to fix what ever it was that was bad. :( **


	9. Chapter 9

_**/Miami/** _

**Dez**

I had my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. His were around my waist. Our toungs danced together. I love this... I love him ,but I don't want to. I pulled away when he slipped his hand down my pants.

"Dallas... stop." I said stopping him in his tracks. He looked up and I saw his chocolate-brown-puppy-dog-eyes ,I couldn't help but to melt.

"Yeah Dez?" he asked me. I un-wrapped my arms from his neck then sat down on the bed.

"This doesn't feel right." I said. He looked emidiotly hurt.

"I-I was caught in the moment." he said.

"I-I'm sorry I'll never go that far again I swear!"

"SSHH!" I shushed. He automatically shut his mouth.

"It's not that." I said. He looked puzzled. Like a puppy after you pretended to throw the ball.

"Then what is it?" he asked me.

"It's this!" I motioned between us.

"A-As long as you keep seeing Ally... I'm feel so guilty Dallas ,but at the same time..." I hung my head and felt tears drop down my face.

"My heart hurts when I see you with her..." I felt strong arms wrap around me.

"I can't let my imprint hurt... I'll break up with her." I rested my head on his strong well-built chest and let out a relived sigh.

_**Ally**_

I went to the sink and washed my face off. I just can't believe that I had missed all the signs. I mean the way he was always with Austin and how with out him he looked so lost and confused. Wait... did Dez have a crush on Austin? Is he dating Austin? Is Austin gay? Is Dez cheating on Austin? Is that why Austin left? I shook my head.

_"Ally you need to stop thinking about this." _I had said to myself. But how could I? I had just found out that one of my best friends is gay and that he may be dating another one of my best friends, or at the very least have a crush on him. I sighed then looked into the mirror.

_"Alexsandra Dawson."_ I said to myself,

_"You need to focus on finding your best friend. Not on his sexual orientation."_ with that I had stood straight up left the bathroom and went straight down the stairs. On the way I had grabbed my phone and the letter that had David's number on it. I sat down on top of the counter and started to dial the numbers. I have international coverage and unlimited texting and calling so I didn't have to worry about the call money wise. The phone started ringing and a huge wave of anxiety ran over me. I've had social anxiety for years ,but this was new...

"Caio?" I heard a male voice say.

"Hi David... Its me Ally." I said shakily.

"Ally! Long time no hear. Its been a whole year scence we talked." he said in a deep booming Italian accent.

"Yeah...Sorry about that." I said. I started to blush.

"So why are you calling?" he asked me.

"Well my friend Austin ran off..." I started

"He said that he was in Volterra, I'm going to go over there with a few friends in hopes that we will find him." I said.

"But you need a place to stay don't you?" he asked. I nervously laughed.

"I'll do you one better, I'll fly you out here first class and give you a place to stay until you find him. You and your friends." he said.

"Are you serious?!" I asked astonished.

"Compleatly. Call me when its not 8:00 o'clock with the details." he said to me.

"Okay yeah...Wait how did you know it was 8:00 over here?" I asked him.

"Because its like 2:00 over here." he replied. After that we exchange our brief 'See you soon''s and hung up. It was about 9:00 when Dez finaly came down. I was in the middle of making french toast. His '_Lover_' must of left through the back door. I looked over to him as he grabbed a glass of orenge Juice.

_"Don't worry Dez." _I said to myself.

_"Your secret is safe with me."_

**_\\Volterra\\_**

**Austin**

I sighed as I laid down next to the beautiful vampire princess that was my mother. She had her eyes closed and was breathing steadily. If I didn't know better I could have sworn that she was in deep sleep, dreaming away... There were two reasons why I didn't want to disturb her.

1. She looked so peaceful and gental that I just wanted to bask in awe at her beauty

2. I was deathly and horrifically **_terrified_** of her

I wrapped my arms around her and laid my head on her chest like I did to my mother when I was little. My other mother. She wrapped her arms around and placed a hand on the back of my head and played with the small curls on the back of my neck.

"Austin." I looked up at her.

"Yes Jane?" I asked.

"Scence you now about our kind now you have either two fates." she said. I was confused as to what she ment.

"Fates?" I asked.

"You see the leader of all Vampires name is Aro. He and his two other brothers rule over all of the vampires. A huge very spacific rule the have is to keep our egsistance away from humans." I nodded my head.

"If a human is to find out about us there are two fates given to he is killed-" I widend my eyes in horror

"-or-" she continued

"He is turned into one of us." she said. I sat up.

"Oh." I said.

"So, I'm either gonna die or-"

"Your gonna be one of us." I sighed.

" I came to Italy... to find answers... to find my parents." I looked into her eyes and I put my hand on the side of her face. Her skin was so nummingly cold. I saw her eyes glisten with the tears that couldn't fall.

"And I found you." I pulled off my sweat-shirt and reveled my bare chest and arms. I looked at her befor I could even blink I had sharp teeth digging into my shoulder and a burning pain went all over my arm and neck.

**an:Sorry again guys ,but my wifi is down at my house untill I can like pay for it :(**

**So thats why I tryed to make this chapter a littel bit longer then the rest.**

**AAAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDD...**

**I'm going to give out a sneak-peak to the reviwer who can pm me the best chapter idea. :)**

** The compitition will last untill 6/16/13-6/18/13 **

**I will pm the winner on the 19th the sneak-peak**

**Well I geuse thats it.**

**Caio bella' ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**_/Volttera/_**

**Felix**

I hung up the phone and put it in my pocket. Demetri walked up to me.

"What was that phone call about?" he asked. I smiled.

"I have an old friend coming to visit." I pulled my phone out of my pocket and started dialing.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked me. I mouthed the word 'watch' to him as I put the phone up to my ear.

_"Hello. Bianchi homing district." _I heard the women on the other line say.

_"Hello. I need a two story house, fully furnished, with 6 rooms , and is just on the outskirts of Volttera. I'm willing to pay what ever it cost "_ There was a long pause.

_"Umm... ok. There is a house ,but I think its may be out of your budget."_ I yawned.

_"Well tell me what it is then, don't wast my time." _I said.

_"Well sir it will be approximately 200,000,000 Euro's, not counting furnished."_ I sighed

_"Can you have someone come furnish it or not?" _I asked, getting annoyed with the women on the other line.

_"I'm sorry sir, we can't do that."_ I rolled my eyes and sighed at her reply.

_"Thats fine, I'll just have somebody do it then." _I told her.

_"So when do you want to come over and discuss financial issues."_

_"I want this done today, how is 4:30?" _I asked.

_"In two hours sir?" _she asked shocked

_"Will that be a problem? If so I can take my money else ware." _I threatened

_"No sir no problem at all! Just ask for Giovanna hen you come." _she said.

_"Good I'll see you there." _I hung up the the phone and started dialing Chelsea's number.

***2 weeks later***

_**/Miammi/**_

**Ally**

I had grabbed my bag and sat down to wait for our plane to be called. I looked over to Dez, Trish, and Dallas. They all laughed about something. Trish turned to me.

"Ally you made it." she said happily.

"We thought if you didn't come sooner we would have to hold up the plane." Dallas said , he had his arm wrapped around Dez's shoulders. I sighed. I haven't got over that Dez and Dallas are gay. It hurts really bad to see them together. Now that I know they had dated behind my back for 5 months it hurts even more. But I have to act like its ok... because he's my friend. The worse is when they kiss... I fucking hate that. I tares me apart.

"So Ally how did your dad let you come?" Dez asked. Well if I already was depressed enough. They all turned to me.

"He kind of didn't..." I admitted. Trish looked at me with confusion in her face.

"Well then how did you leave?" Dez asked.

"Well the cab was outside and dad was trying to stop me from leaving and right before I left I said that If I don't leave now I'll just be stuck working at a instrument store the rest of my life." I said.

"Oh Ally..." Trish gushed. She wrapped her arms around me. I wiped off my eyes with the sleeves of sweat-shirt.

"I-I don't understand." Dez said. Trish pulled away, I laid my head on her shoulder. Her curly hair tickled at my face. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Ally's mom said that to her dad... when she left him." a few more tears spilled from my eyes.

"He's never gonna forgive me..." I said into her shoulder. She squeezed my shoulders.

"Of corse he will Ally he's your dad. He can't stay made at you forever." Dallas said. I shot a look at him. I was about to say something to him ,but then an announcement when off.

_"Plane 24 to Volttera Italy is now boarding. Repeat plane 24 to Volttera Italy is now boarding." _we picked up our bags and started heading to the gate. We were sitting right in front of it so all we had to do was pull out our tickets and pass-ports. I pulled out our first class tickets and my pass port. She took the tickets and checked out my passport she nodded then gave me my pass port back.

"No wait!" I heard from the background. I turned my head to see a my father with messy hair, still in his pajama bottoms, and a tear-stained face. He was being held back by security.

"Thats my daughter! Ally! Ally!" he yelled out trying to get pass the guards. In the matter of seconds Trish was next to me with her arm around me trying to get my onto the plane as fast as possible.

_**/Volttera/**_

**Austin**

The pain... it was unbearable. I felt like I was trapped in a flooding sea of venom and with every breath I was taking in less, and less oxygen. I felt the need to scream my organs out ,but every time I tried nothing came out. All I heard was the fluttering sound of my heart beat going faster and faster as time went on. I was about the give up I wanted death to take me now. I stopped trying and listened to the sound of what I thought were deaths foot steps, then I realised the foot steps were getting louder and faster... I gasped in one last breath and held it waiting for a long tunnel with a white light at the end. Then it stopped. Everything stopped. The burning, the footsteps, my own breathing. It stopped. Without any type of warning every sense in my body was heightened. I flung my eyes open and... I saw **everything**. I saw the ceiling above me. I saw each and every little thing about it. The paint chips, tinny almost invisible cracks, stains and discoloration. Everything. I sat up as slow as possible. I looked around the room as I tried to take this all in. I took my hand and placed it over my chest I sat there still and waited for my heart beat. Nothing.

"I'm dead." I said to myself. I jumped up a little shocked by the sound of my voice. I heard footsteps coming my way. I turned my head in the direction of the door. In the matter of seconds Jane was next to the bed.

"Good morning, Austin." she said.

"Welcome to the Vampire world."


	11. Chapter 11

**/Ally/**

I couldn't stop. I couldn't stop repeating that scean over and over again in my head. How heart-broken my father looked. It was awful. I looked over at Trish who was sitting right next to me. She had her blinds on and was fast asleep. I laid my head down on her shoulders. I closed my eyes to fall asleep then I heard a ring that went through the entire plane.

_"Hello passengers, please buckle your seat belts. We will be landing in Volterra, Italy in fifteen minutes." _a women on the announcer said, in Italian. She repeated it one more time then she stopped the announcer. Trish started stirring and took her blinds off.

"What did she say?" she asked in a tired voice. I buckled myself in.

"Were landing in a few minutes and we need to buckle our-selfs in." I answered. She turned her body to Dez and Dallas, who were basically sleeping on each other. I flinched when I saw the two together like that.

"Yo." she said then pushed Dallas's muscular arm. He turned to her with an irritated face.

"What?" he said with a growl.

"You guys need to buckle up the plane is landing soon." she said to him. He nodded then buckled himself in and woke up Dez with a soft tinny kiss on his lips. I turned my head away from them and felt tears welled in my eyes. I swiftly wiped my eyes off then bit my lip as I tried to hold more tears back. I didn't look at them for the rest of the ride.

**\\Austin\\**

Jane looked at me with worry and anticipation. I looked at her. I looked for flaws, make up marks, laugh lines, bags... anything to show her age. I saw nothing ,but a beautiful 15 year old girl.

"How do you feel?" she asked me. I thought about it ,how did I feel? Just then as if I was hit by a brick my throat was on fire. I grabbed my neck and took a bunch of unneeded breaths, thinking that it might help my throat. It didn't. If anything I sounded like a retarded dragon. I looked up and saw Jane smirking.

"Don't worry... we'll find you someone to drink." she said. I widened my eyes and shook my head no.

"Whats wrong?" she asked.

"I don't wanna kill people, for food." I said. She looked at me shocked.

"Isn't there another way to eat without taking people's lives?" I asked. There was silence. She straightened herself up.

"There is one way... it is unethical though. Not many do it." she said. I raised my eyebrow.

"What is it?" I asked. She said then took my hand. I stood up and we started running.

**/Ally/**

I took my both of my bags when I saw them go past on the luggage claim. We then went to the front on the airport to look for someone holding my name on piece of paper. When we went to the airport exit we looked for about five minutes and saw a guy in suite, with my name on a piece of paper. We went up to him.

"Hi I'm Ally... are you David?" I asked him. He looked at me puzzled for a moment. I rolled my eyes.

"Ciao io sono Ally. Sei David?" I repeated. He smiled at me.

_"No I'm not David, but I was sent by him to make sure you and your friends got to his home safely. If you would please let me take your things and we will got to the Limousine." _he answered me. I widened my eyes. David must be loaded to afford all of this. I felt Trish nudge my shoulder.

"What did he say?" she asked. I set my bags down and turned to her.

"He's gonna put our stuff away in the limo, then we're going to David's." I said. Her eyes got big and she got a huge grin on her face. The sight of it made me laugh, until I cried.

**\\Austin\\**

I looked around my surroundings. We were in a forest.

"I don't understand." I said to her.

"Why are we here?" she came up to me and covered my eyes with her hands. She leaned into my ear and whispered-

"Smell."

I took a deep breath in. I smelled many different things. I smelled wet dirt, wildflowers, animal droppings, and-

"What is that." I almost yelled. My throat was being set aflame and my mouth was watering.

"Run to it." she said. I started sprinting away. Letting my legs carry me to the delicious smell. It was pure moments until I was pouncing on some mountain lions and sinking my teeth into passing by dear. I was on my last buck when the burn in my throat had finally seemed to disappear. I stood up and looked down. My cloths were torn and tattered with blood stains almost every were. I felt a presence and turned around. About 50 feet away I saw Jane with a large grin on her face and she was chuckling at the mere sight of me. She came over to me and looked at me with happiness and joy glistening in her eyes. She pulled out a crimson red rag from her pocket.

"Next time." she started.

"Try to keep your dinner in your mouth. Not your face." she wiped off my cheeks and the corners of my mouth. I looked at her with slight iritance. She smiled again then engulfed me in a hug.

"I love you Austin. I loved you since the day you were born, I will love you until the end of time." she said into my shoulder. I hugged her back.

"Then stop." I said. She pulled back and looked at me.

"Stop what?" she asked confused.

"Stop feeding on humans... They're lives. Human lives. Actual people with family and friends. The thought of it is just so-"

"I'll try." she said cutting me off.

"For you I'll try to stop." she said. I smiled from ear to ear.

"But. I can't do it alone. If were going to do this we need help. Some one to teach you how to hunt right and to help me to quit cold turkey..." she said.

"What are you trying to say?.." I asked her, confused as to where she was going with this. She looked back into my eyes.

"We need the Cullens."

**_/_**

**an: Stay tuned everyone... because this is finally the _REAL_ beginning of the story..**

**P.S I'm thinking about re-naming the fic... anybody got ideas?**


	12. Chapter 12

_**WARNING FROM THE AUTHOR!**_

_**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MANY FLASH FORWARDS BECAUSE FRANKLY I'M TO DAMN LAZY TO MAKE AN EXTRA CHAPTER AND I'M PRETTY SURE YOU ALL WOULD JUST LIKE ME TO GET TO THE FUCKING POINT. ALSO I'M STEALING ALOT FROM TWILIGHT. SO... I DON'T OWN ANYTHING. WELL... I DONT OWN ALOT.**_

_**SO HERE IT IS THE REAL BEGINNING OF THE STORY.**_

**_VIEWER_**_** DISCRETION ADVISED...**_

***************************************************1 2************************************************* **

**/Ally/**

_*3 months later*_

I held the razor to my arm and made a cut about an inch deep. I put the razor down and picked up my thread and needle. I stitched the wound back together quickly and then pulled my long sleeve down over it. I sighed. This was the third time this week. I stood up and left the bathroom then went into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk then started drinking it.

"Ally..." I heard Trish's voice. I turned around and saw Dallas, Dez, and Trish.

"Yeah guys?" I asked. They all looked at each other awkwardly.

"We decided that were going back home." Dallas said. I dropped the milk carton.

"We have been here for months we found no sign of him any ware its as if he has vanished of the face of the earth." Dez said.

"So were gonna go home and through him a remembrance ceremony." Trish added on. I stepped back and covered my mouth with my hand as tears poured out of my eyes.

"I can't believe this." I said in a gasp.

"Our bags are packed and were leaving tomorrow morning at 6:00am. We encourage you to come with us." Dallas said. I went and sat down on chair. I held my head in my hands as I listened to there foot steps slowly fade away. I started sobbing even harder... what am I going to do? I can't go back home, and I can't stay here any longer. I sighed.

_"I need a new start." _I said to myself. I sat up and wiped off my face.

_"And I know exactly were to get one." _I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed a number that I haven't called since I was 8. The phone rang about 3 times when he finally answered.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"Hi uncle Charlie... it's me Ally."

_*1 week after*_

**_/Washinton, Forks/_**

**Austin**

I stood up over the dead animal carcass. I looked over to Carlisle.

"Good. Your getting better. You don't have as much blood on your cloths." I smiled at him. I felt someone near by I turned around in-time to see my mom and Edward hop into a tree.

"Did you here? The Chief's daughters are coming up to live with him." Jane said.

"Yeah they should be here tonight." Edward added on. I rolled my eyes.

"How does this information benefit us at all?" I asked them.

"It doesn't ,but conversation once in-a-while won't kill you." he said. I chuckled at him.

"I'm worried Carlisle. Its been months since the transformation... why are my eyes still red?" I asked him. He got up from the branch he was sitting on and came and examined my eyes.

"I've noticed this as well... If they don't start changing color soon well either get you contacts or you can just keep they eye color you have." he said. I raised an eye-brow.

"Red eyes? Wouldn't that raise some questions?" I asked. I heard Jane Let out a sinister laugh.

"PLEASE. I've eaten people who had weirder things going on then red eyes." Jane commented earning a laugh from Edward, a scold from Carlisle, and faint smile from me.

**Ally **

I walked into the busy Seattle airport. I felt small bit of anxiety in my chest as I thought about what lied a head of me. I haven't seen uncle charlie in years not since I was 8 years old when I used to come up here for the summer with my cousin Isabella. I headed straight forward, not knowing were else to go. I looked down at my phone for any messages or missed calls from the plane ride. I had nothing. I went to go put my phone away when I bumped into someone making them drop their luggage and the book that was in their hand.

"Oh god I'm so sorry." I said. I dropped down to my knees immediately and started helping them pick their stuff up.

"No its fine I wasn't paying attention." I grabbed their book and handed it to them. I looked up and saw her face. She seemed oddly familiar in a way. She tilted her head and examined me.

"Do I know you?" she asked. I awkwardly smiled.

"I don't know whats your name?" I asked letting out a nerves laugh. She held out her hand.

" My name is Bella Swan." she said. I wrapped her in a hug. Which I can tell shocked her because she got all tense.

"I haven't seen you in years." I said. I pulled away and smiled at her.

"I can't wait to be living together again." she looked at me wide-eyed.

"Ally? Uhh... wow. You changed." she said. Clearly feeling the same bit of awkwardness as me. I stood up and held my hand out to her. She took it and I helped her up. We then tried to go find the entrance. When we found it we instantly found uncle gave us each an awkward, one-armed hugs.

"Hey dad."

"Hey Uncle Charlie" we said at the same time. He looks at us and nods.

"Its good to see you girls." he said. I rubbed my arm awkwardly. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Bella was doing the same thing.

"You two haven't changed much. How are your mothers?"

"Moms fine." we said at the same time. We quickly shot our heads at each-other.

"You two did that even when you were little." he said.

"It's good to see you, too, Dad."

"It's good to see you, too, Uncle Charlie." we said in unison...AGAIN. He let out a small chuckle.

We quickly loaded our luggage into the cruiser. Yup I said that right, a cruiser. This I was expecting. Charlie is Police Chief Swan to the good people of Forks. My primary motivation behind buying a car for myself. I refused to be driven around town in a car with red and blue lights on top. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop. I had only a few bags. Most of my Miami and Italy clothes were too permeable for Washington. It all fit easily into the trunk of the cruiser.

"I found a good car for you two, really cheap," he announced when we were strapped in.

"What kind of car?" we asked. I was suspicious of the way he said "good car for you" as opposed to just "good car."

"Well, it's a truck actually, a Chevy."

"Where did you find it?" Bella asked

"Do you remember Billy Black down at La Push?" La Push is the tiny Indian reservation on the coast.

"No." we said synchronized.

"He used to go fishing with us three during the summer," Charlie prompted. I don't know why I don't remember him. I have a tuff time with blocking out peoples faces and, memories with them.

"He's in a wheelchair now," Charlie continued when neither of us respond, "so he can't drive anymore, and he offered to sell me his truck cheap."

"What year is it?" I asked. I could see from his change of expression that this was the question he was hoping we wouldn't ask.

"Well, Billy's done a lot of work on the engine - it's only a few years old, really." I hoped he didn't think so little of me as to believe I would give up that easily.

"When did he buy it?" we said together. I let out an irritated sigh.

"He bought it in 1984, I think." he said.

"Did he buy it new?" I asked.

"Well, no. I think it was new in the early sixties - or late fifties at the earliest," he admitted sheepishly.

"Ch - Dad, we don't really know anything about cars. I wouldn't be able to fix it if anything went wrong, and neither of us can afford a mechanic..." Bella said.

"Really, Girls, the thing runs great. They don't build them like that anymore." he said. The thing, I thought to myself... it had possibilities - as a nickname, at the very least.

"How cheap is cheap?" I asked, that was the part I couldn't compromise on.

"Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you two. As a homecoming gift." Charlie peeked sideways at us with a hopeful expression. Wow. Free.

"You didn't need to do that, Dad. I was going to buy myself a car."

"You didn't need to do that, Uncle Charlie. I was going to buy myself a car." we said again. At this point it was getting kind of annoying

"I don't mind. I want you girls to be happy here." he said ignoring the fact that that just happened. He was looking ahead at the road when he said that. Charlie wasn't comfortable with expressing his emotions out loud. Niether was I. So I was looking straight ahead as I responded.

"That's really nice, Uncle Charlie. Thanks. I really appreciate it." No need to add that my being happy in Forks is an impossibility. He didn't need to suffer along with me. And I never looked a free truck in the mouth - or engine.

"Well, now, you're welcome," he mumbled, embarrassed by our thanks. We exchanged a few more comments on the weather, which was wet, and that was pretty much it for Conversation. We stared out the windows in silence. It was beautiful, of course; I couldn't deny that. Everything was green: the trees, their trunks covered with moss, their branches hanging with a canopy of it, the ground covered with ferns. Even the air filtered down greenly through the leaves. It was too green - an alien planet. Eventually we made it to Charlie's. He still lived in the small, two-bedroom house that he'd bought with my aunt in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had - the early ones. There, parked on the street in front of the house that never changed, was my new - well, new to me - truck. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To my intense surprise, I loved it. I looked over to Bella, I saw that she was pretty much as existed as I was.


	13. Chapter 13

***************************************************1 3************************************************* **

**/Ally/**

I didn't know if it would run, but I could see myself in it. Plus, it was one of those solid iron affairs that never gets damaged - the kind you see at the scene of an accident, paint unscratched, surrounded by the pieces of the foreign car it had destroyed.

"Wow, Dad, I love it! Thanks!"

"Wow, Charlie, I love it! Thanks!" we said. I was trying to ignore how awfully annoying that was. Well at least now my horrific day tomorrow would be just that much less dreadful. I wouldn't be faced with the choice of either walking two miles in the rain to school or accepting a ride in the Chief's cruiser.

"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said gruffly, embarrassed again. It seriously amazes me how he is not phased by us. It took only one trip to get all our stuff upstairs. We got the west bedroom that faced out over the front yard. The room was familiar. Probably since I've stayed here every summer since practically the day I was born. The wooden floor, the light blue walls, the peaked ceiling, the yellowed lace curtains around the window - these were all a part of my childhood. The only changes Charlie had ever made were switching the crib for a bed and adding a desk as we grew. The desk now held a secondhand computer, with the phone line for the modem stapled along the floor to the nearest phone jack. This was probably a stipulation from my aunt, so that her and Bella could stay in touch easily. The rocking chair from my baby days was still in the corner. There was only one small bathroom at the top of the stairs, which I would have to share with Charlie and Bella. I was trying not to dwell too much on that fact. One of the best things about Charlie is he doesn't hover. He left us alone to unpack and get settled, a feat that would have been altogether impossible for my mother or father. It was nice to be alone... -ish, not to have to smile and look pleased; a relief to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let just a few tears escape. I wasn't in the mood to go on a real crying jag. I would save that for bedtime, when I would have to think about the coming morning.

Forks High School had a frightening total of only three hundred and fifty-seven - now fifty-nine - students; there were more than seven hundred people in my junior class alone back home. All of the kids here had grown up together - their grandparents had been toddlers together. We would be the new girls from the big city, a curiosity, the freaks. Maybe, if I looked like a girl from Miami should, I could work this to my advantage. But physically, I'd never fit in anywhere. I should be tan, sporty, blond - a volleyball player, or a cheerleader, perhaps - all the things that go with living in the Sunshine State. Instead, I was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete. I have great hand-eye coordination when it comes to music, I cant really say anything about sports though. Or dancing, or anything involving physical activity.

"Its nice to see you." I heard. I shot my head over to my look-a-like.

"Yeah... you too." I said. I focused on how we looked exactly like each other. It was... weird. Uncomfortable to say the least. The fact that we kept saying things in unison was not helping either.

"Its strange. I feel comfortable with you. Not smothered or anything like that." She said. I flopped onto the queen sized bed that we were most defiantly gonna have to share. I watched as she did the same.

"I feel the same way actually." I said. I heard her groan.

"You groaning about tommorow?" I asked. She sat up and looked at me.

"How did you know?" she asked me. I let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Because its the only thing running through my mind." I say. She sighs.

"Its gonna be nothing like my old school."

"Yeah. Its probably gonna be cramped and everyone's gonna stare at us."

"You know at my old school they had a barbwire fence." I laugh at the sentance. She goins in after a while.

"At my old school they had a gaurd by the door." I say through my laughter. She burst into laughter and I start laughing harder. We sat up and our laughter died down. We looked at each other and smiled.

"Hey Ally." I started. I looked up at her.

"Lets try to stay together, and not let these small town people get to us. We're obviously gonna need each other." she said. I smiled and nodded. She held out her hand, and I took it. The moment I took her hand I saw a flood of images of two little girls playing together. I immediately pulled my hand away. I looked back at Bella.

"Woah." we both said in a whisper. We stared at each other for a while then went back to putting our, stuff away clearly not wanting to talk about what just happened.

When I finished putting my clothes in my half of the old pine dresser, I took my bag of bathroom necessities and went to the communal bathroom to clean myself up after the day of travel. I looked at my face in the mirror as I brushed through my tangled, damp hair. Maybe it was the light, but already I looked sallower, unhealthy. My skin could be pretty - it was very clear, almost translucent-looking - but it all depended on color. I had no color here. Facing my pallid reflection in the mirror, I was forced to admit that I was lying to myself. It wasn't just physically that I'd never fit in. And if I couldn't find a niche in a school with three thousand people, what were my chances here? I looked over to Bella. She probably came in while I was looking at myself in the mirror. She seemed to be doing the same thing I was. I sighed.

"I swear if I didn't know we were cousins, I would think that we were twins." Bell said. I nodded and looked back at the mirror. Sometimes I wondered if I  
>was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain. But the cause didn't matter. All that mattered was the effect. And tomorrow would be just the beginning.<p>

***************************************Late night***************************************

I didn't sleep well that night, neither of us could. Even after I was done crying in the bathroom. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn't fade into the background.

"I fucking hate rain..." Bella said. I pulled the faded old quilt over my head, and later added the pillow, too. But I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight, when the rain finally settled into a quieter drizzle.

*************************************Morning******** **********************************

Thick fog was all I could see out the window in the morning. I could feel the claustrophobia creeping up on me. You could never see the sky here; it was like a cage. Breakfast with Charlie and Bella was a quiet event. He wished us good luck at school. We thanked him, knowing his hope was wasted. Good luck tended to avoid me. Charlie left first, off to the police station that was his wife and family. After he left, I sat at the old square oak table in one of the three unmatching chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor. Nothing was changed.

My aunt had painted the cabinets eighteen years ago in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house. Over the small fireplace in the adjoining handkerchief-sized family room was a row of pictures. First a wedding picture of Charlie and my aunt in Las Vegas, then one of them and Bella in the hospital after she was born, taken by a helpful nurse. I looked and after that all I saw were pictures of us. As in my uncle, me, and Bella. I looked at a picture of just me and Bella. We were incredibly young, about for or five. We looked like twins with our arms wrapped around each other giving large smiles. Hell, we even had the same missing baby tooth. It was creepy.

It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over my aunt. It made me uncomfortable. We didn't want to be too early to school, but We decided we couldn't stay in the house anymore. I donned my jacket - which had the feel of a biohazard suit - and headed out into the rain. It was just drizzling still, not enough to soak me through immediately as I reached for the house key that was always hidden under the eaves by the door, and locked up. The sloshing of my new waterproof boots was unnerving. I missed the normal crunch of gravel as I walked. I couldn't pause and admire our truck again as I wanted; I was in a hurry to get out of the misty wet that swirled around my head and clung to my hair under my hood, and by the looks of it Bella was too.

Inside the truck, it was nice and dry. Either Billy or Charlie had obviously cleaned it up, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. The engine started quickly, to my relief, but loudly, roaring to life and then idling at top volume. Well, a truck this old was bound to have a flaw. The antique radio worked, a plus that I hadn't expected. I let Bella drive.

Finding the school wasn't difficult, though niether of us never been there before. The school was, like most other things, just off the highway. It was not obvious that it was a school; only the sign, which declared it to be the Forks High School, made me stop. It looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. There were so many trees and shrubs I couldn't see its size at first. Just like everything in this town- it was small.


	14. Chapter 14

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**/Ally/**

We parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. No one else was parked there, so I was sure it was off limits, but we decided we would get directions inside instead of circling around in the rain like idiots. I stepped unwillingly out of the toasty truck cab and walked down a little stone path lined with dark hedges. We both took a deep breaths before opening the door. Inside, it was brightly lit, and warmer than I'd hoped. The office was small; a little waiting area with padded folding chairs, orange-flecked commercial carpet, notices and awards cluttering the walls, a big clock ticking loudly. Plants grew everywhere in large plastic pots, as if there wasn't enough greenery outside. The room was cut in half by a long counter, cluttered with wire baskets full of papers and brightly colored flyers taped to its front. There were three desks behind the counter, one of which was manned by a large, red-haired woman wearing glasses. She was wearing a purple t-shirt, which immediately made me feel overdressed. The red-haired woman looked up.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Ally, and this is Isabella." I informed her, and saw the immediate awareness light her eyes. I was expected, a topic of gossip no doubt. Daughters of the Chief's flighty ex-wife, and her sisister come home at last.  
>"Of course," she said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk till she found the ones she was looking for.<p>

"I have your schedules right here, and a map of the school." She brought several sheets to the counter to show roe. Are schedules... they were exactly the same. She went through our classes for us, highlighting the best route to each on the map, and gave us each a slip to have each teacher sign, which we were to bring back at the end of the day. She smiled at us and hoped, like Charlie, that we would like it here in Forks. I smiled back as convincingly as I could.

When we went back out to the truck, other students were starting to arrive. We drove around the school, following the line of traffic. I was glad to see that most of the cars were older like ours, nothing flashy. It was a common thing to see a new Mercedes or Porsche in the student lot in Miami. The nicest car here was a shiny  
>Volvo, and it stood out. Still, Bella cut the engine as soon as we were in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn't draw attention to us. I looked at the map in the truck, trying to memorize it now; hopefully I wouldn't have to walk around with it stuck in front of my nose all day. I looked over to Bella as she did the same. I stuffed everything in my bag, slung the strap over my shoulder, and sucked in a huge breath. Me and Bella looked over at each other. We sighed and gave each other tight hug. We stayed like that for about a minute.<p>

_'I can do this.'_ I lied to myself feebly. No one was going to bite me. I finally exhaled and stepped out of the truck. I kept my face pulled back into my hood as I walked to the sidewalk directly next to Bella, crowded with teenagers. Our plain black jackets didn't stand out, I noticed with relief. Once we got around the cafeteria, building three was easy to spot. A large black "3" was painted on a white square on the east corner. I felt my breathing gradually creeping toward hyperventilation as we approached the door. I tried holding my breath as we followed two unisex raincoats through the door. The classroom was small. The people in front of us stopped just inside the door to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks. We copied them. They were two girls, one a porcelain-colored blonde, the other also pale, with light brown hair. At least our skin wouldn't be a standout here.

We took the slips up to the teacher, a tall, balding man whose desk had a nameplate identifying him as Mr. Mason. He gawked at us when he saw our names - not an  
>encouraging response - and of course I flushed tomato red. But at least he sent us to an some empty desks at the back without introducing us both to the class. It was harder for my new classmates to stare at us in the back, but somehow, they managed. I kept my eyes down on the reading list the teacher had given me. It was fairly basic: Bronte, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Faulkner. I'd already read everything. That was comforting... and boring.<p>

When the bell rang, a nasal buzzing sound, a gangly boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to us.  
>"You two are Isabella and Alexsandra, aren't you?" He looked like the overly helpful, chess club type.<p>

"Bella,"

"Ally." we corrected. Everyone within a three-seat radius turned to look at us.

"Where's your next class?" he asked. We had to check in our bags.

" Um, Government, with Jefferson, in building six." we said in unison. There was nowhere to look without meeting curious eyes, especially after that little mess-up

"I'm headed toward building four, I could show you two the way..." Definitely over-helpful.

"I'm Eric," he added. I smiled tentatively.

"Thanks." we said.

"Woah... that's cool." he says. I wan't to roll my eyes at him, but I held it back. We got our jackets and headed out into the rain, which had picked up. I could have  
>sworn several people behind us were walking close enough to eavesdrop. I hoped I wasn't getting paranoid.<p>

"So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?" he asked.

"Very." Bella says.

"It doesn't rain much there, does it?"

"Three or four times a year." she answerd.

"Wow, what must that be like?" he wondered.

"Sunny," she told him.

"You don't look very tan."

"My mother is part albino." she says. I let out a small laugh. He studied her face apprehensively, and I sighed. It looked like clouds and a sense of humor didn't mix. A few months of this and I'd forget how to use sarcasm.

"You don't talk much do you?" he said, obviously talking to me.

"Na not really." I said.

"So what do you think of Phoenix?" he asked. I looked over to him.

"I don't know I've never been there." I say.

"Hu, that's strange aren't siblings supposed to live together." he says. I look over to him shocked.

"What do you mean siblings?" we ask at the same time.

"Wait aren't you twins?" he says. My eyes go wide we then start sputtering saying how we weren't sisters, and there must of been some mistake. He nodded that told us he understood. We walked back around the cafeteria, to the south buildings by the gym. Eric walked us right to the door, though it was clearly marked.  
>"Well, good luck," he said as I touched the handle.<p>

"Maybe we'll have some other classes together." He sounded hopeful. I smiled at him vaguely and we went inside. The rest of the morning passed in about the same fashion. Our Trigonometry teacher, Mr. Varner, who I would have hated anyway just because of the subject he taught, was the only one who made us stand in front of the class and introduce ourselfs. We stammered, blushed, and tripped over our own boots on the way to our seats. After two classes, I started to recognize several of the faces in each class. There was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask us questions about how we were liking Forks. We tried to be diplomatic, but mostly we just lied a lot. At least neither of us needed the map. One girl sat next to us in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with us to the cafeteria for lunch. She was tiny, several inches shorter than my five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between our heights. I couldn't remember her name, so I smiled and nodded as she prattled about teachers and classes. I didn't try to keep up.


	15. Chapter 15

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**/Ally/**

We sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to me. I forgot all their names as soon as she spoke them. They seemed impressed by her bravery in speaking to me. The boy from English, Eric, waved at me from across the room. It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I saw them. They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where we sat as possible in the long room. There were seven of them. They weren't talking, and they weren't eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren't gawking at us, unlike most of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, my attention. They didn't look anything alike. Of the four boys, one was big - muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. One last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students. Then there was-

"No." I said in whisper. I shook my head, tears threatening to fall. Everyone at the table (and probably the whole cafeteria) was looking at me.

"Ally?" I heard Bella's concerned voice, ask. I immediately stood up and left the cafeteria in a rushed manner. I rushed to the bathroom and looked myself. In a stall, I took really deep breaths and tried to stop myself from crying. I heard a door slam shut and someone come up to the stall i was in.

"Ally, what the hell happened?" she asked worried.

"H-He's here." I say in a small mousey voice.

"Who's here?" she ask. I quickly opened the stall pulled her in and locked it again.

"He's here! The reason I left Miami! The reason I went to Italy! The reason I'm here now!" I say in a whisper yell. Her eyes widen.

"You mean-"

"Yes!" I say cutting her off.

"Oh... Ally." she says, then elapses me in a tight hug. I hug her back and let out a soft whimper into her shoulder. We stay there for about one or two minutes. Then we pull apart. She wipes off my face and lets out a small smile.

"Hey yo-... we'll get through this." she rub's my arm and gives me a reassuring smile. Her smile makes me feel warm on the inside... a feeling that I thought escaped me a long time ago. We heard more foot-steps coming tors the stall.

"Hey guys are you ok?" we heard the girls voice ask. Bella turned to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine... I just felt a little sick is all." I say. We wait for her to leave so we can get out of the stall, after Bella decides to clean me up we link arms and head back to the cafeteria.

_**************************************************** *Cafeteria**************************************** *********_

"Who are they ?" Bella asked the girl from my Spanish class, whose name I'd forgotten. As she looked up to see who she meant - though already knowing, probably, from her tone - suddenly he looked at her, the thinner one, the boyish one, the youngest, perhaps. He looked at the girl for just a fraction of a second, and then his dark eyes flickered to ours. He looked away quickly, more quickly than I could, though in a flush of embarrassment I dropped my eyes at once. In that brief flash of a glance, his face held nothing of interest - it was as if she had called his name, and he'd looked up in involuntary response, already having decided not to answer. My neighbor giggled in embarrassment, looking at the table like I did.

"That's Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. Jane, and Austin are the other two blondes and the one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife." She said this under her breath. Austin... his name felt like a brick to the face. I felt Bella's hand grab mine. They were under the table so no one saw. I saw Bella glance sideways at the beautiful boy, who was looking at his tray now, picking a bagel to pieces. His mouth was moving very quickly The other three still looked away, and yet I felt he was speaking quietly to them. Strange, unpopular names, I thought. The kinds of names grandparents had. But maybe that was in vogue here - small town names? I finally remembered that my neighbor was called Jessica, a perfectly common name. There were two girls named Jessica in my history class back home.

"They are... very nice-looking." I struggled with the conspicuous understatement.

"Yes!" Jessica agreed with another giggle.

"They're all together though - Emmett and Rosalie, and Jasper and Alice, I mean. And they live together." Her voice held all the  
>shock and condemnation of the small town, I thought critically. But, if I was being honest, I had to admit that even in Phoenix or Miami, it would cause gossip.<p>

"Which ones are the Cullens?" Bella asked.

"They don't look related..." I added in

"Oh, they're not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They're all adopted. The Hales are brother and sister, twins - the blondes - and they're foster children."

"They look a little old for foster children."

"They are now, Jasper and Rosalie are both eighteen, but they've been with Mrs. Cullen since they were eight. She's their aunt or something like that."

"What about, The other two... uh... Jane and Austin?" I asked. The thought of them together was enough to break my heart, just a little.

"Oh those two? There brother and sister also. Austin is Jane's older brother. Shes like sixteen or something, but she's skipped a few grades. The came to them very resiliently. Around the time she was about twelve or thirteen. They were both home-schooled up until now. " she said.

"That's really kind of nice - for them to take care of all those kids like that, when they're so young and everything." Bella said.  
>"I guess so," Jessica admitted reluctantly, and I got the impression that she didn't like the doctor and his wife for some reason. With the glances she was throwing at their adopted children, I would presume the reason was jealousy.<p>

"I think that Mrs. Cullen can't have any kids, though," she added, as if that lessened their kindness. Throughout all this conversation, my eyes flickered again and again to the table where the strange family sat. They continued to look at the walls and not eat.

"Have they always lived in Forks?" I asked. Surely I would have noticed them on one of my summers here.

"No," she said in a voice that implied it should be obvious, even to a new arrival like me. "They just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska." I felt a surge of pity, and relief. Pity because, as beautiful as they were, they were outsiders, clearly not accepted. Relief that I wasn't the only newcomer here, and certainly not the most interesting by any standard. But I also new something had to be up... I'm pretty sure Austins parents have no idea he is here, and are going insane. As I examined them, the youngest one of the Cullens, looked up and met my gaze, this time with evident curiosity in her expression. As I looked swiftly away, it seemed to me that her glance held some kind of unmet expectation.

"Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I heard Bella ask. I peeked at him from the corner of my eye, and he was still staring at us, but not gawking like the other students had today - he had a slightly frustrated expression. I looked down again.

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he'd turned her down. I bit my lip to hide my smile. Then I glanced at him again. His face was turned away, but I thought his cheek appeared lifted, as if he were smiling, too. After a few more minutes, the four of them left the table together. They all were noticeably graceful - even the big, brawny one. It was unsettling to watch. The one named Edward didn't look at us again.


	16. Chapter 16

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**/Ally/**

We sat at the table with Jessica and her friends longer than we would have if I'd been sitting alone with just Bella. I was anxious not to be late for class on my first day. One of our new acquaintances, who considerately reminded us that her name was Angela, had Biology II with us the next hour. We walked to class together in silence. She was shy, too. When we entered the classroom, Angela went to sit at a black-topped lab table exactly  
>like the ones I was used to. She already had a neighbor. In fact, all the tables were filled but two. I looked but one. Next to the center aisle, I recognized Austin moon (now Austin Cullen) by his hair, sitting next to that single open seat. Me and Bella took worried glances at each other, knowing what would come next.<p>

As we walked down the aisle to introduce myself to the teacher and get our slips signed, I was watching them both ( Edward and Austin ) surreptitiously. Just as we passed, they suddenly went rigid in their seats. Edward stared at us again, meeting our eyes with the strangest expression on his face - it was hostile, furious. I looked away quickly, shocked, going red again. Bella stumbled over a book in the walkway and had to catch herself on the edge of a table, I helped her back up. The girl sitting there giggled. I gave her a fearsome glare, and she immediately shut up and wriggled under my cold stare. I turned away from her when I was sure she got my message. I looked back and I noticed that his eyes were black - coal black, they were no longer the bouncy blue ones that I knew so well. Same thing with Edward...

Mr. Banner signed our slips and handed us each a book with no nonsense about introductions. I could tell we were going to get along. Of course, he had no choice but to. I went to sit by him, bewildered by the antagonistic stare he'd given me. I didn't look up as I set my book on the table and took my seat, but I saw his posture change from the corner of my eye. He was leaning away from me, sitting on the extremeedge of his chair and averting his face like he smelled something bad. Inconspicuously, I sniffed my hair. It smelled like strawberries, the scent of my favorite shampoo. It seemed  
>an innocent enough odor. I let my hair fall over my right shoulder, making a dark curtain between us, and tried to pay attention to the teacher.<br>Unfortunately the lecture was on cellular anatomy, something I'd already studied. I took notes carefully anyway, always looking down. I couldn't stop myself from peeking occasionally through the screen of my hair at the strange boy next to me. He wasn't Austin. At least not anymore.

During the whole class, he never relaxed his stiff position on the edge of his chair, sitting as far from me as possible. I could see his hand on his left leg  
>was clenched into a fist, tendons standing out under his pale skin. This, too, he never relaxed. He had the long sleeves of his white shirt pushed up to his elbows, and his forearm was surprisingly hard and muscular beneath his light skin. He wasn't nearly as slight as he'd looked next to his burly "<em>brother<em>".

The class seemed to drag on longer than the others. Was it because the day was finally coming to a close, or because I was waiting for his tight fist to loosen? It never did; he continued to sit so still it looked like he wasn't breathing. What was wrong with him? Was this his normal behavior now? I questioned my judgment on Jessica's bitterness at lunch today. Maybe she was not as resentful as I'd thought. I peeked up at him one more time, and regretted it. He was glaring down at me again, his black eyes full of revulsion. As I flinched away from him, shrinking against my chair, the phra seif looks could kill suddenly ran through my mind. At that moment, the bell rang loudly, making me jump, and Austin was out of his seat. Fluidly he rose - he was much taller than I'd thought - his back to me, and he was out the door before anyone else was out of their seat.

I sat frozen in my seat, staring blankly after him. He was acting so mean. It wasn't fair. I began gathering up my things slowly, trying to block the anger that filled me, for fear my eyes would tear up. For some reason, my temper was hardwired to my tear ducts. I usually cried when I was angry, a humiliating tendency.

"Aren't you Isabella Swan?" a male voice asked. I looked up to see a cute, baby-faced boy, his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at me in a friendly way. He obviously didn't think I smelled bad.

"Actually I'm Bella." said the comforting voice of my cousin.

"And I'm Ally." I chimed in.

"I'm Mike."

"Hi, Mike." we said in unison.

"Do you need any help finding your next class?"

"I'm headed to the gym, actually. I think we can find it." Bella said.

"That's my next class, too." He seemed thrilled, though it wasn't that big of a coincidence in a school this small. We walked to class together; he was a chatterer - he supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for us. He'd lived in California till he was ten, so he knew how we felt about the sun. It turned out he was in my English class also. He was the nicest person I'd met today. But as we were entering the gym, he asked-

"So, did you stab the Cullen boys with a pencil or what? I've never seen those two act like that." I cringed. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed. And, apparently, that wasn't Austins usual behavior. I decided to play dumb.

"Were those the boys we sat next to in Biology?" I asked artlessly.

"Yes," he said. "He looked like he was in pain or something."

"I don't know," I responded. "I never spoke to him."

"They're pretty weird." Mike lingered by us instead of heading to the dressing room.

"If I were lucky enough to sit by either of you, I would have talked to you." I smiled at him before walking through the girls' locker room door. He was friendly and clearly admiring. But it wasn't enough to ease my irritation.

The Gym teacher, Coach Clapp, found me a uniform but didn't make me dress down for today's class. At home, only two years of RE. were required. Here, P.E. was mandatory all four years. Forks was literally my personal hell on Earth. I watched four volleyball games running simultaneously. Remembering how many injuries I had sustained - and inflicted - playing volleyball, I felt faintly nauseated. I stayed close to Bella for support.


	17. Chapter 17

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**/Ally/**

The final bell rang at last. I walked slowly to the office to return my paperwork. The rain had drifted away, but the wind was strong, and colder. I wrapped my arms around myself, with the extra warmth from Bella's arm around my waist. When we walked into the warm office, me and Bella almost turned around and walked back out. Edward Cullen stood at the desk in front of me. I recognized again that tousled bronze hair. He didn't appear to notice the sound of our entrance. I stood pressed against the back wall, waiting for the receptionist to be free. He was arguing with her in a low, attractive voice. I quickly picked up the gist of the argument. He was trying to trade from sixth-hour Biology to another time - any other time. I just couldn't believe that this was about Bella, or me, or better yet the both of us. It had to be something else, something that happened before we entered the Biology room. The look on his face must have been about another aggravation entirely. It was impossible that this stranger could take such a sudden, intense dislike to us.

The door opened again, and the cold wind suddenly gusted through the room, rustling the papers on the desk, swirling our hair around our faces. The girl who came in merely stepped to the desk, placed a note in the wire basket, and walked out again. But Edward Cullen's back stiffened, and he turned slowly to glare at us - his face was absurdly handsome - with piercing, hate-filled eyes. For an instant, I felt a thrill of genuine fear, raising the hair on my arms. The look only lasted a second, but it chilled me more than the freezing wind. He turned back to the receptionist.

"Never mind, then," he said hastily in a voice like velvet.

"I can see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your help." And he turned on his heel without another look at us, and disappeared out the door. I went meekly to the desk, my face white for once instead of red, and handed her the signed slip.

"How did your first day go, dear?" the receptionist asked us maternally.

"Fine," we lied at exactly the same time, our voices weak. She didn't look convinced.

When we got to the truck, it was almost the last car in the lot. It seemed like a haven, already the closest thing to home we had in this damp green hole. We sat inside for a while, just staring out the windshield blankly. But soon it was cold enough to need the heater, so I turned the key and the engine roared to life. I saw Bella lean over and tear up. I quickly took her into a tight embrace and we cried together.

***************************_That Evaning******************************************* ************_**

We undressed and switched into pajama's. We were both lieing down next to each other, our hands intertwined, with a bowl of popcorn in the middle of us.

"There's something up with those Cullens." Bella started. "I intend to find out what it is."

"I'll help." I added in. We both simultaneously sighed.

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" Bella asked randomly.

"Dose Charlie even have a DVD player?" I asked.

"Good point he probably only has a VCR." she sighed. We sat there for a few more moments.

"I have a laptop."

"Lets go." we watched silent hill on my laptop and laughed at the gory scenes, finally feeling at peace.

**_************************************************** 2*************************************_**

The next day was better... and worse. It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque. It was easier because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit by us in English, and walked us to out next class, with Chess Club Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering. People didn't look at us quite as much as they had yesterday. We sat with a big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I now remembered. I began to feel like I was treading water, instead of drowning in it.

It was worse because we were tired; we still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. It was worse because Mr. Varner called on me in Trig when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer. The only thing that made me not die was that Bella was next to me. It was miserable because we had to play volleyball, and the one time I didn't cringe out of the way of the ball, I hit Bella in the head with it. She smiled at me and told me she understood, wich did make me feel **alot **better. And it was worse because Austin wasn't in school at all.

All morning I was dreading lunch, fearing his bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew myself too well to think I would really have the guts to do it. I made the Cowardly Lion look like the terminator. But when I walked into the cafeteria with Bella - trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for him, and failing entirely - I saw that his four siblings of sorts were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.

Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Jessica seemed elated by the attention, and her friends quickly joined us. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting nervously for the moment he would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove my suspicions false. He didn't come, and as time passed I grew more and more tense. I walked to Biology with more confidence when, by the end of lunch, he still hadn't showed.

Mike, who was taking on the qualities of a golden retriever, walked faithfully by my side to class. I held my breath at the door, but Austin wasn't there, either. I exhaled and went to my seat. Mike followed, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach. He lingered by my desk till the bell rang. Then he smiled at me wistfully and went to sit by a girl with braces and a bad perm. Bella and I sat together being that Edward wasn't here.

It looked like we were going to have to do something about Mike, and it wouldn't be easy. In a town like this, where everyone lived on top of everyone else, diplomacy was essential. I passed a note to Bella about this and she let out a giggle. I had never been enormously tactful; I had no practice dealing with overly friendly boys, except Dez. But that was a different story.

I was relieved that I had the desk to only me and Bella, and that Austin was absent. I told myself that repeatedly. But I couldn't get rid of the nagging suspicion that I was the reason he wasn't there. I mean he left Miami for a reason. Maybe I was bring back bad memories...

When the school day was finally done, and the blush was fading out of my cheeks from the volleyball incident, I changed quickly back into my jeans and navy blue sweater. I hurried from the girls' locker room, pleased to find Bella standing near the exit waiting for me. I liked Bella, alot. She was by far my best friend here. She was my safe haven and I needed her now more than walked swiftly out to the parking lot. It was crowded now with fleeing students. We got in our truck and dug through our bags to make sure we had what we needed.

Last night I'd discovered that Charlie couldn't cook much besides fried eggs and bacon. So we requested that we be assigned kitchen detail for the duration of our stay. He was willing enough to hand over the keys to the banquet hall. We also found out that he had no food in the house. So we had a shopping list and the cash from the jar in the cupboard labeled FOOD MONEY, and we were on our way to Walmart.

I gunned our deafening engine to life, ignoring the heads that turned in my direction, and backed carefully into a place in the line of cars that were waiting to exit the parking lot. As we waited, trying to pretend that the earsplitting rumble was coming from someone else's car, I saw the two Cullens and the Hale twins getting into their car. It was the shiny new Volvo. Of course. I hadn't noticed their clothes before - I'd been too mesmerized by  
>their faces. Now that I looked, it was obvious that they were all dressed exceptionally well; simply, but in clothes that subtly hinted at designer origins. With their remarkable good looks, the style with which they carried themselves, they could have worn dishrags and pulled it off. It seemed excessive for them to have both looks and money. But as far as I could tell, life worked that way most of the time. It didn't look as if it bought them any acceptance , I didn't fully believe that. The isolation must be their desire; I couldn't imagine any door that wouldn't be opened by that degree of beauty.<p>

They looked at our noisy truck as I passed them, just like everyone else. I kept my eyes straight forward and was relieved when I finally was free of the school grounds.

_*************************************************3** **********************************************_

Walmart was not far from the school, just a few streets south, off the highway. It was nice to be inside the supermarket; it felt normal. I did the shopping at home, and I fell into the pattern of the familiar task gladly. The store was big enough inside that I couldn't hear the tapping of the rain on the roof to remind me where I was.

"So what do we need?" I heard Bella ask from beside me. I smiled at her voice and took the list out of my bag.

"I think we need..."

**_************************************************** ********4************************************_**

When we got home, we unloaded all the groceries, stuffing them in wherever we could find an open space. I hoped Charlie wouldn't mind. We wrapped potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven to bake, covered a steak in marinade and balanced it on top of a carton of eggs in the fridge. When we were finished with that, I took my book bag upstairs. Before starting my homework, I changed into a pair of dry sweats, pulled my damp hair up into a pony-tail. I then grabbed my bag and began the home-work. I heard Bella come into the room soon after I did.

"Hey." I said to her not looking up from the Trig work-sheet that I had.

"Sup." she replied. I looked up and she went over to my night-stand and took a pair of PJ pants out and put them on. I didn't mind. In the few days we been here we've been wearing each others cloths. To be honest I'm pretty sure that this is her shirt. I saw her hop onto the old computer on her desk.

"You still get emails?" I asked as she pulled up a page.

"No. My mom still **_sends _**emails." she said. I let a small laugh.

"Doesn't she have a cell phone?" I ask, after I stop laughing.

"Yeah ,but apparently she doesn't 'get the texting thing'." she says then lets out a small laugh along with me. When my home-work was finished, I had decided to read Wuthering Heights - the novel we were currently studying in English - yet again for the fun of it, and that's what I was doing when Charlie came home. We both lost track of the time, and hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.

"Girls?" my uncle called out when he heard us on the stairs. Who else? I thought to myself.

"Hey, Dad, welcome home."

"Hey, Uncle Charlie, welcome home." we said together... AGAIN.

"Thanks." He hung up his gun belt and stepped out of his boots as we bustled about in the kitchen. We were instructing each other as we made sides for dinner.

As far as I was aware, he'd never shot the gun on the job. But he kept it ready. When I came here as a child, he would always remove the bullets as soon as he walked in the door. I guess he considered us old enough now not to shoot ourselfs by accident, and not depressed enough to shoot either of ourselfs on purpose.

"What's for dinner?" he asked warily. My aunt was an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. I was surprised, and sad, that he seemed to remember that far back.

"Steak and potatoes," we answered, and he looked relieved. He seemed to feel awkward standing in the kitchen doing nothing; he lumbered into the living room to watch TV while I worked. We were both more comfortable that way. I made a salad while the steaks cooked, and Bella set the table. We called him in when dinner was ready, and he sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.

"Smells good, Girls."

"Thanks." we answerd. We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. None of us was bothered by the quiet. In some ways, we were well suited for living together.

"So, how did you two like school? Have you made any friends?" he asked as he was taking seconds.

"Well, we have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. We sit with her friends at lunch. And there's this boy, Mike, who's very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice." Bella spoke. With one outstanding exception.

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid - nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." he says.

"Do you know the Cullen family?" I asked hesitantly.

"Dr. Cullen's family? Sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They... the kids... are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school." Charlie surprised me by looking angry.

"People in this town," he muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder.

"We're lucky to have him - lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved  
>and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature - I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should - camping trips every other weekend... Just because they're newcomers,<br>people have to talk." It was the longest speech I'd ever heard Charlie make. He must feel strongly about whatever people were saying.

Bella backpedaled. "They seemed nice enough to us. We just noticed they kept to themselves. They're all very attractive," she added, trying to be more complimentary.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said, laughing.

"It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around." We lapsed back into silence as we finished eating. He cleared the table while I started on the dishes. He went back to the TV, and after I finished washing the dishes by hand - no dishwasher. I could feel a tradition in the making.

That night it was finally quiet. I fell asleep quickly, feeling safety next to Bella's warmth.


	18. Chapter 18

***************************************************1 4************************************************* **

**/Ally/**

The rest of the week was uneventful. I got used to the routine of my classes. By Friday I was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on my team learned not to pass me the ball and to step quickly in front of me if the other team tried to take advantage of my weakness. I happily stayed out of their way.

Austin Mo-... Cullen didn't come back to school. Every day, I watched anxiously until the rest of the Cullens ( minuse one ) entered the cafeteria without him. Then I could relax and join in the lunchtime conversation. Mostly it centered around a trip to the La Push Ocean Park in two weeks that Mike was putting together. We were invited, and we had agreed to go, more out of politeness than desire. I really don't like beaches, but it seems that is the most fun and familiar thing to do. By Friday I was perfectly comfortable entering our Biology class, no longer worried that Austin would be there. For all I knew, he had dropped out of school. I tried not think about him, but I couldn't totally suppress the worry that I was responsible for his continued absence.

My first weekend in Forks passed without incident. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. We cleaned the house, got ahead on our homework, and watched scary movies on my lap-top. We did drive to the library Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that we didn't bother to get a card; we would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. I wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got... and shuddered at the thought. The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so we were able to sleep well. People greeted us in the parking lot Monday morning. I didn't know all their names, but we waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but happily not raining.

In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by our side. We had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, very easy. All in all, I was feeling a lot more comfortable than I had thought I would feel by this point. More comfortable than I had ever expected to feel here. When we walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. I could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at my cheeks, my nose.

"Wow," Mike said.

"It's snowing." I looked at the little cotton fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past my face.

"Ew." me and Bella said in disgust. Snow. There went my good day. He looked surprised.

"Don't you like snow?"

"No. That means it's too cold for rain." we said again. Obviously.

"Besides, I thought it was supposed to come down in flakes - you know, each one unique and all that. These just look like the ends of Q-tips." Bella said.

"Haven't you ever seen snow fall before?" he asked incredulously.

"Sure we have." I said and paused. Bella looked voer t me.

"On TV." Mike and Bella laughed. And then a big, squishy ball of dripping snow smacked into the back of his head. We both turned to see where it came from. I had my suspicions about Eric, who was walking away, his back toward us - in the wrong direction for his next class. Mike appatently had the same notion. He bent over and began scraping together a pile of the white mush.

"I'll see you at lunch, okay?" we kept walking as I spoke.

"Once people start throwing wet stuff, we go inside." He just nodded, his eyes on Eric's retreating figure. Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; apparently it was the first snowfall of the new year. I kept my mouth shut. Sure, it was drier than rain - until it melted in your socks. We walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Mush balls were flying everywhere. We both kept a binder in my hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought I was hilarious, but something in my expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at me herself. Mike caught up to us as we walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snow fight as we got in line to buy food. I glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. And then I froze where I stood. There were seven people at the table. Jessica pulled on my our arms.

"Hello? Bella? Ally? What do you want?" I looked down; my ears were hot. I had no reason to feel self-conscious, I reminded myself. I hadn't done anything wrong.  
>"What's with the swans?" Mike asked Jessica. I felt the urge to grimace at the nick-name. Yes they new we were cousins but they ( as in everyone in town) referenced the two us as "The Swans" or "The Twins.". I even heard a few people call us "The Swan sisters."<p>

"Nothing," we both answered.

"I'll just get a soda today." we said together again. I caught up to the end of the line.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jessica asked.

"Actually, I feel a little sick," Bella said, our eyes still on the floor.

"Yeah me to." we waited for them to get their food, and then followed them to a table, our eyes on our feet. We sipped on our soda (_we were both sharing one_) slowly, my stomach churning. Twice Mike asked, with unnecessary concern, how we were feeling. We told him it was nothing, but I was wondering if I should play it up and escape to the nurse's office for the next hour.

Ridiculous.

I shouldn't have to run away. I decided to permit myself one glance at the Cullen "family's" table. If he was glaring at us, I would skip Biology, like the coward I was. I kept my head down and glanced up under my lashes. None of them were looking this way. I lifted my head a little. They were laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else - only they looked more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us. But, aside from the laughter and playfulness, there was something different, and I couldn't quite pinpoint what that difference was. I examined Austin the most carefully.

He was so different. It's like I'm looking at him... but not really. I-It's hard to explain. His skin was as white as the snow outside. He had purple bags under his eyes, It looks like he was recovering from a broken nose. His hair which used to be straight and styled in a cute emo/Justin Bieber style, was now wavy and styled up. But something was off. His face was diffrent from the last time I saw him. As I look at him now... I wonder if hes even my Austin any more.

"Guys, what are you staring at?" Jessica intruded, her eyes following our stares. At that precise moment, his eyes flashed over to meet mine. Me and Bella symiltanisously dropped our heads head, letting my hair fall to conceal our faces. I was sure, though, in the instant our eyes met, that he didn't look harsh or unfriendly as he had the last time I'd seen him. He looked merely curious again, unsatisfied in some way.

"The Cullen boys are staring at you two," Jessica giggled in over to us in a sushed tone.

"He doesn't look angry, does he?" I couldn't help asking. I knew that Bella felt the same way.

"No," she said, sounding confused by my question. "Should he be?"

"I don't think they like us," Bella confided. We still felt queasy. I put my head down on my arm.

"The Cullens don't like anybody...well, they don't notice anybody enough to like them. But they're still staring at you."

"Stop looking at him," we hissed. She snickered, but she looked away. I raised my head enough to make sure that she did, contemplating violence if she resisted. Mike interrupted us then - he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school and wanted us to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically. The way she looked at Mike left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. We kept silent. We would have to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared.

For the rest of the lunch hour I very carefully kept my eyes at my own table. I decided to honor the bargain I'd made with myself. Since he didn't look angry, I would go to Biology. My stomach did frightened little flips at the thought of sitting next to him again. I didn't really want to walk to class with Mike as usual - he seemed to be a popular target for the snowball snipers - but when we went to the door, everyone besides me and Bella groaned in unison. It was raining, washing all traces of the snow away in clear, icy ribbons down the side of the walkway. I pulled my hood up, secretly pleased. We would be free to go straight home after Gym.

Mike kept up a string of complaints on the way to building four. Once inside the classroom, I saw with relief that my table was still empty. Mr. Banner was walking around the room, distributing one microscope and box of slides to each table. Class didn't start for a few minutes, and the room buzzed with conversation. I kept my eyes away from the door, doodling idly on the cover of my notebook. I heard very clearly when the chair next to me moved, but my eyes stayed carefully focused on the pattern I was drawing.

"Hello," said a quiet, musical voice.

I looked up, stunned that he was speaking to me. He was sitting as far away from me as the desk allowed, but his chair was angled toward me. His hair was dripping wet, disheveled - even so, he looked like he'd just finished shooting a commercial for hair gel. His dazzling face was friendly, open, a slight smile on his flawless lips. But his eyes were careful.

"My name is Austin Cullen," he continued.

"I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan." he said pretending to forget my name. My mind was spinning with confusion. Had I made up the whole thing? He was perfectly polite now. I had to speak; he was waiting. But I couldn't think of anything conventional to say.

"Actually." I started.

"She's Bella." I said pointing over to my "other half" as others were calling it. He smiled and looked bashful,

"My apologies Ally you two do look very similar..." he said.

"H-how do you know my name?" I stammered. He laughed a soft, enchanting laugh.

"Oh, I think everyone knows your name. The whole town's been waiting for you two to arrive." I grimaced. I knew it was something like that.

"No," I persisted stupidly. "I meant, why did you call me Ally?" He seemed confused.

"Do you prefer Alexandra?"

"No, I like Ally," I said. "But I think Charlie - I mean my Uncel must call me Alexandra behind my back - that's what everyone here seems to know me as," I tried to explain, feeling like an utter moron.

"Oh." He let it drop. I looked away awkwardly. Thankfully, Mr. Banner started class at that moment. I tried to concentrate as he explained the lab we would be doing today. The slides in the box were out of order. Working as lab partners, we had to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the  
>phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. We weren't supposed to use our books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right.<p>

"Get started," he commanded.

"Ladies first, partner?" Austin asked. I looked up to see him smiling a crooked smile so beautiful that I could only stare at him like an idiot.

"Or I could start, if you wish." The smile faded; he was obviously wondering if I was mentally competent.

"No," I said, flushing. "I'll go ahead." I was showing off, just a little. I'd already done this lab, and I knew what I was looking for. It should be easy. I snapped the first slide into place under the microscope and adjusted it quickly to the 40X objective. I studied the slide briefly. My assessment was confident.

"Prophase."

"Do you mind if I look?" he asked as I began to remove the slide. His hand caught mine, to stop me, as he asked. His fingers were ice-cold, like he'd been holding them in a snowdrift before class. But that wasn't why I jerked my hand away so quickly. When he touched me, it stung my hand as if an electric current had passed through us.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back immediately. However, he continued to reach for the microscope. I watched him, still staggered, as he examined the slide for an even shorter time than I had.

"Prophase," he agreed, writing it neatly in the first space on our worksheet. He swiftly switched out the first slide for the second, and then glanced at it cursorily.

"Anaphase," he murmured, writing it down as he spoke. I kept my voice indifferent.

"May I?" He smirked and pushed the microscope to me. I looked through the eyepiece eagerly, only to be disappointed. Damn, he was right.

"Slide three?" I held out my hand without looking at him. He handed it to me; it seemed like he was being careful not to touch my skin again. I took the most fleeting look I could manage.

"Interphase." I passed him the microscope before he could ask for it. He took a swift peek, and then wrote it down. I would have written it while he looked, but his clear, elegant script intimidated me. I didn't want to spoil the page with my clumsy scrawl. We were finished before anyone else was close. I could see Mike and his partner comparing two slides again and again, and another group had their book open under the table. Which left me with nothing to do but try to not look at him... unsuccessfully. I glanced up, and he was staring at me, that same inexplicable look of frustration in his eyes. Suddenly I identified that subtle difference in his face.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out unthinkingly. He seemed puzzled by my unexpected question.

"No."

"Oh," I mumbled.

"I thought there was something different about your eyes." He shrugged, and looked away. In fact, I was sure there was something different. I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he'd glared at me - the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair. Today, his eyes were a completely different color: red but darker like the color of blood, crimson I think it was. I didn't understand how that could be, unless he was lying for some reason about the contacts. Or maybe Forks was making me crazy in the literal sense of the word. I looked down. His hands were clenched into hard fists again. Mr. Banner came to our table then, to see why we weren't working. He looked over our shoulders to glance at the completed lab, and then stared more intently to check the answers.

"So, Austin, didn't you think Isabella should get a chance with the microscope?" asked.

"Ally," Austin corrected automatically.

"Actually, she identified three of the five." Mr. Banner looked at me now; his expression was skeptical.

"Have you done this lab before?" he asked. I smiled sheepishly.

"Not with onion root."

"Whitefish blastula?"

"Yeah."  
>Mr. Banner nodded. "Were you in an advanced placement program in Miami?"<p>

"Yes."

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess it's good you two are lab partners." He mumbled something else as he walked away. After he left, I began doodling on my notebook again.

"It's too bad about the snow, isn't it?" Edward asked. I had the feeling that he was forcing himself to make small talk with me. Paranoia swept over me again. It was like he had heard me and Bella's conversation with Jessica at lunch and was trying to prove me wrong.

"Not really," I answered honestly, instead of pretending to be normal like everyone else. I was still trying to dislodge the stupid feeling of suspicion, and I couldn't concentrate.

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"You have no idea," I muttered darkly. He looked fascinated by what I said, for some reason I couldn't imagine. His face was such a distraction that I tried not to look at it any more than courtesy absolutely demanded.

"Why did you come here, then?" No one had asked me that - not straight out like he did, demanding.

"It's... complicated."

"I think I can keep up," he pressed. I paused for a long moment, then made the mistake of His dark red eyes confused me, and I answered without thinking.

"I needed a fresh start." I said. He looked at me with confusion in his eyes.

"You see-" I started.

"There was a guy, my best friend. He found out he was adopted and hoped a plane to Italy." as I told him this I saw him motion awkwardly in his seat.

",So me, my ex, and two of my friends decided to go look for him. Sadly we failed. They just assumed he was dead or found his parents or what ever. So they left. I stayed though. I looked for him for months, but I didn't find him. I went into a deep depression, and... gave up. I started self harm and when I thought I had enough I realized that it was pointless to stay and if I went back home it would only bring back bad memories. So I called my uncle and he agreed to take me in. When I got here I found Bella and she... she makes happy again. Like I found my other half." I tell him. He looks at me with hurt and guilt in my eyes from life story.

"Ally-" the bell rang cutting him off I grabbed my stuff.

"Don't sympathize for me." I say to him as I get up.

"I really don't need it." I say then leave the class room stopping only to link arms with Bella.


	19. Chapter 19

***************************************************1 5************************************************* **

Mike skipped quickly to our side and picked our books for us. I imagined him with a wagging tail.

"That was awful," he groaned. "They all looked exactly the same. You're lucky you had Cullen for a partner."

"I didn't have any trouble with it," I said, stung by his assumption. I regretted the snub instantly. "I've done the lab before, though," I added before he could get his feelings hurt.

"Cullen seemed friendly enough today," he commented as we shrugged into our raincoats. He didn't seem pleased about it. I tried to sound indifferent.

"I wonder what was with them last Monday." Bella spoke I couldn't concentrate on Mike's chatter as we walked to Gym, and RE. didn't do much to hold my attention, either. Mike was on my team today. He chivalrously covered my position as well as his own, so my woolgathering was only interrupted when it was my turn to serve; my team ducked warily out of the way every time I was up.

The rain was just a mist as I walked to the parking lot, but I was happier when we were in the dry cab. We got the heater running, for once not caring about the mind-numbing roar of the engine. I unzipped my jacket, put the hood down, and fluffed my damp hair out so the heater could dry it on the way home. I looked around me to make sure it was clear. That's when I noticed the still, white figures. Edward Cullen and Austin Cullen were leaning against the front door of the Volvo, three cars down from us, and staring intently in our direction. I swiftly looked away and threw the truck into reverse, almost hitting a rusty Toyota Corolla in my haste. Lucky for the Toyota, I stomped on the brake in time. It was just the sort of car that our truck would make scrap metal of. I took a deep breath, still looking out the other side of my car, and cautiously pulled out again, with greater success. I stared straight ahead as I passed the Volvo, but from a peripheral peek, I would swear I saw them laughing.

**_*******************************************15***** ************************************************** _**

When I opened my eyes in the morning, something was different. It was the light. It was still the gray-green light of a cloudy day in the forest, but it was clearer somehow. I realized there was no fog veiling my window. I jumped up to look outside, and then groaned in horror. A fine layer of snow covered the yard, dusted the top of my truck, and whitened the road. But that wasn't the worst part. All the rain from yesterday had frozen solid -  
>coating the needles on the trees in fantastic, gorgeous patterns, and making the driveway a deadly ice slick.<p>

"Shit." I heard Bella groan from beside me. We looked at each other and back through the curtains again, at the white hell in front of us.

"I have enough trouble not falling down when the ground is dry." we said in unison. We shot our heads at each other.

"I'm never gonna get used that." she says.

"Me either." I agreed.

Charlie had left for work before we got downstairs. In a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having our own place, and I found myself reveling in just the company of Bella, instead of being lonely. I threw down a quick bowl of cereal and some orange juice from the carton.

"Hand me that." Bella said pointing to the juice carton. I tossed it to her and she took a swig of it. After a while I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me. I knew it wasn't the stimulating learning environment I was anticipating, or seeing my new set of friends. If I was being honest with myself, I knew I was eager to get to school because I would see Austin. And that was very, very stupid.

I should be avoiding him entirely after my brainless and embarrassing babbling yesterday. And I was suspicious of him; why should he lie about his eyes? I was still frightened of the hostility I sometimes felt emanating from him, and I was still tongue-tied whenever I pictured his perfect face. I was well aware that my league and his league were spheres that did not touch. So I shouldn't be at all anxious to see him today.

It took every ounce of my concentration ( and a supporting hand from Bella) to make it down the icy brick driveway alive. I almost lost my balance when I finally got to the truck, but I managed to cling to the side mirror and save myself. Clearly, today was going to be nightmarish.

As we were driving to school, I distracted myself from my fear of falling and my unwanted speculations about Austin by thinking about Mike and Eric, and the obvious difference in how teenage boys responded to me here. I was sure we looked exactly the same as we had in Phoenix and Miami. Maybe it was just that the boys back our homes had watched us pass slowly through all the awkward phases of adolescence and still thought of us that way. Perhaps it was because we were novelties here, where novelties were few and far between. Possibly our crippling clumsiness was seen as endearing rather than pathetic, casting us as a damsels in distress. Whatever the reason, Mike's puppy dog behavior and Eric's apparent rivalry with him were disconcerting. I wasn't sure if I didn't prefer being ignored.

My truck seemed to have no problem with the black ice that covered the roads. I drove very slowly, though, not wanting to carve a path of destruction through Main Street. When I got out of my truck at school, I saw why I'd had so little trouble. Something silver caught my eye, and I walked to the back of the truck - carefully holding the side for support - to examine my tires. There were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around them. Charlie had gotten up who knows how early to put snow chains on my truck. My throat suddenly felt tight. I wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's  
>unspoken concern caught me by surprise.<p>

We were standing by the back corner of the truck, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, when I heard an odd sound. It was a high-pitched screech, and it was fast becoming painfully loud. I looked up, startled. I saw several things simultaneously. Nothing was moving in slow motion, the way it does in the movies. Instead, the adrenaline rush seemed to make my brain work much faster, and I was able to absorb in clear detail several things at once.

The Cullen boys were standing four cars down from us, staring at us in faces stood out from a sea of faces, all frozen in the same mask of shock. But of more immediate importance was the dark blue van that was skidding, tires locked and squealing against the brakes, spinning wildly across the ice of the parking lot. It was going to hit the back corner of my truck, and I was standing between them. I didn't even have time to close my eyes.

Just before I heard the shattering crunch of the van folding around the truck bed, something hit me, hard, but not from the direction I was expecting. Suddenly I was pined down on the ground on the other end of the truck, by something cold and solid, with Bella no were to be seen. A low oath made me aware that someone was with me, and the voice was impossible not to recognize. Two long, white hands shot out protectively in front of me, and the van shuddered to a stop a foot from my face, the large hands fitting providentially into a deep dent in the side of the van's body. Then his hands moved so fast they blurred. One was suddenly gripping under the body of the van, and something was dragging me, swinging my legs around like a ragdoll's, till they hit the tire of the tan car. A groaning metallic thud hurt my ears, and the van settled, glass popping, onto the asphalt - exactly where, a second ago, my legs had been. It was absolutely silent for one long second before the screaming began.

In the abrupt bedlam, I could hear more than one person shouting my and Bella's name. But more clearly than all the yelling, I could hear Austin's low, frantic voice in my ear.

"Ally?! Are you all right?!"

"Where's Bella?" was my first instinct.

"Where is my Bella?!" My voice sounded strange. Like a mother who had lost her child in the supermarket. I tried to sit up, and realized he was holding me against the side of his body in an iron grasp.

"Be careful," he warned as I struggled. "I think you hit your head pretty hard." I became aware of a throbbing ache centered above my left ear.

"Ow," I said, surprised.

"That's what I thought." His voice, amazingly, sounded like he was suppressing laughter.

"How in the..." I trailed off, trying to clear my head, get my bearings.

"How did you get over here so fast?!"

"I was standing right next to you, Ally," he said, his tone serious again. I turned to sit up, and this time he let me, releasing his hold around my waist and sliding as far from me as he could in the limited space. My back hit something soft and warm. I turned around to see the face of my- as they callled it- other half. We both grasped each other in fear as if we were children again.


	20. Chapter 20

t took six EMTs and two teachers — Mr. Varner and Coach Clapp — to shift the van far enough away from us to bring the stretchers in. Edward and Austin refused theirs, and we tried to do the same, but the traitor told them we had hit our heads and probably had a concussion. I almost died of humiliation when they put on the neck brace. It looked like the entireschool was there, watching soberly as they loaded me in the back of theambulance. Edward got to ride in the front. It was maddening.

To make matters worse, Chief Swan arrived before they could get us safely away.

"Girls!" he yelled in panic when he recognized us on the stretcher (we refused to be in separate ones).

"I'm completely fine, Char — Dad," Bella sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with us." He turned to the closest EMT for a second opinion. I tuned him out toconsider the jumble of inexplicable images churning chaotically in myhead. When they'd lifted me away from the car, I had seen the deep dentin the tan car's bumper — a very distinct dent that fit the contours of Edward's shoulders… as if he had braced himself against the car with enough force to damage the metal frame…And then there was his family, looking on from the distance, with expressions that ranged from disapproval to fury but held no hint of concern for their brother's safety.

I tried to think of a logical solution that could explain what I had just seen — a solution that excluded the assumption that I was insane.

Naturally, the ambulance got a police escort to the county hospital. I felt ridiculous the whole time they were unloading me. What made it worse was that Edward and Austin simply glided through the hospital doors under their own power. I ground my teeth together.

They put us in the emergency room, a long room with a line of beds separated by pastel-patterned curtains. A nurse put a pressure cuff on my arm and a thermometer under my tongue. Since no one bothered pulling the curtain around to give us some privacy, I decided I wasn't obligated to wear the stupid-looking neck brace anymore. When the nurse walked away, we quickly unfastened the Velcro on the neck braces and threw them under the bed.

There was another flurry of hospital personnel, another stretcher brought to the bed next to us. I recognized Tyler Crowley from our Government class beneath the bloodstained bandages wrapped tightly around his looked a hundred times worse than I felt. But he was staring anxiously at me.

"Guys, I'm so sorry!"

"We're fine, Tyler — you look awful, are you all right?" I asked. As we spoke,nurses began unwinding his soiled bandages, exposing a myriad of shallow slices all over his forehead and left cheek. He ignored me.

"I thought I was going to kill you! I was going too fast,and I hit the ice wrong…" He winced as one nurse started dabbing at hisface.

"Don't worry about it; you missed us."

"How did you get out of the way so fast? You were there, and then you were gone…"

"Umm…" me and Bella looked at each other.

"The Cullen brothers pulled us out of the way." we said in unison. He looked confused.

"Who?"

"Edward and Austin Cullen — they were standing next to us." I'd always been a terrible liar; I didn't sound convincing at all. Bela looked over to me; worried.

"Cullen? I didn't see them… it was all so fast, I guess. Is he okay?"

"I think so. He's here somewhere, but they didn't make him use a stretcher." Bella replied for us. I knew I wasn't crazy! What had happened? There was no way to explain away what we'd seen.

They wheeled us away then, to X-ray my head. We told them there was nothing wrong, and we were right. Not even a concussion. I asked if we could leave, but the nurse said we had to talk to a doctor first. So we were trapped in the ER, waiting, harassed by Tyler's constant apologies and promises to make it up to us. No matter how many times we tried to convince him we were fine, he continued to torment himself. Finally, we both closed our eyes and ignored him. He kept up a remorseful mumbling. I turned to my side and wrapped my arms around Bella instinctively, and she did the same.

"Are they sleeping?" a musical voice asked. My eyes flew open.

Austin and Edward were standing at the foot of our bed, smirking. I glared at them. It wasn't easy — it would have been more natural to ogle.

"Hey, guys, I'm really sorry —" Tyler began. Edward lifted a hand to stop him.

"No blood, no foul," he said, flashing his brilliant teeth. Austin moved to sit on the edge of Tyler's bed, facing me. He smirked again.

"So, what's the verdict?" Edward asked Bella.

"There's nothing wrong with us at all, but they won't let us go," she complained.

"How come you two aren't strapped to a gurney like the rest of us?" I asked, sounding allot meaner then I intended.

"It's all about who you know," Austin answered.

"But don't worry, I came to spring you." Then a doctor walked around the corner, and my mouth fell open. He was young, he was blond… and he was handsomer than any movie star I'd ever seen. He was pale, though, and tired-looking, with circles under his eyes. From Charlie's description, this had to be Edward's father.

"So, ladies," Dr. Cullen said in a remarkably appealing voice, "how are you feeling?"

"We're fine," we said, for the last time, I hoped. He walked to the light board on the wall over our heads, and turned it on.

"Your X-rays look good," he said. "Do your heads hurt? Edward said you two hit them pretty hard."

"It's fine," we repeated with a sigh, throwing a quick scowl toward Edward.

The doctor's cool fingers probed lightly along my skull. He noticed when I winced. I felt Bella's hand squeeze mine.

"Tender?" he asked.

"Not really." I'd had worse.

I heard a chuckle, and looked over to see Austin's patronizing smile. My eyes narrowed.

"Well, your father is in the waiting room — you can go home with him now.

"But come back if you feel dizzy or have trouble with your eyesight at all."

"Can't we go back to school?" Bella asked, I imagined Charlie trying to be attentive.

"Maybe you should take it easy today." I glanced at two 'brothers'.

"Does he get to go to school?" I asked.

"Someone has to spread the good news that we survived," Edward said smugly.

"Actually," Dr. Cullen corrected, "most of the school seems to be in thewaiting room."

"Oh no," Bella and I moaned, covering our faces with our hands. Dr. Cullen raised his eyebrows.

"Do you want to stay?"

"No, no!" we insisted, throwing our legs over the side of the bed and hopping down quickly. Too quickly — I staggered, and Dr. Cullen caughtme. He looked concerned.

"I'm fine," I assured him again. No need to tell him my balance problems had nothing to do with hitting my head.

"Take some Tylenol for the pain," he suggested as he steadied me.

"It doesn't hurt that bad," we insisted.

"It sounds like you were extremely lucky," Dr. Cullen said, smiling as he signed our chart with a flourish.

"Lucky the boys happened to be standing next to us," Bella amended with a hard glance at the subject of her statement.

"Oh, well, yes," Dr. Cullen agreed, suddenly occupied with the papers infront of him. Then he looked away, at Tyler, and walked to the next bed.

My intuition flickered; the doctor was in on it.

"I'm afraid that you'll have to stay with us just a little bit longer," he said to Tyler, and began checking his cuts. As soon as the doctor's back was turned, I moved to Austin's side.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I hissed under my breath. He took a step back from me, his jaw suddenly clenched.

"Your father is waiting for you," he said through his teeth. I glanced at Dr. Cullen and Tyler.

"I'd like to speak with you alone, if you don't mind," I pressed.

He glared, and then turned his back and strode down the long room. Inearly had to run to keep up. As soon as we turned the corner into ashort hallway, he spun around to face me.

"What do you want?" he asked, sounding annoyed. His eyes were cold. His unfriendliness intimidated me. My words came out with less severity than I'd intended.

"You owe me an explanation," I reminded him.

"I saved your life — I don't owe you anything." I flinched back from the resentment in his voice.

"You promised."

"Ally, you hit your head, you don't know what you're talking about." His tone was cutting. My temper flared now, and I glared defiantly at him.

"There's nothing wrong with my head." He glared back.

"What do you want from me, Ally?"

"I want to know the truth," I said.

"I want to know why I'm lying for you."

"What do you think happened?" he snapped. It came out in a rush.

"All I know is that you two weren't anywhere near us — Tyler didn't see you,either, so don't tell me I hit my head too hard. That van was going to crush us both — and it didn't, and your hands left dents in the side of it — and you left a dent in the other car, and you two are not hurt at all —and the van should have smashed my legs, but you were holding it up…" I could hear how crazy it sounded, and I couldn't continue. I was so mad I could feel the tears coming; I tried to force them back by grinding my teeth together.

He was staring at me incredulously. But his face was tense, defensive.

"You think I lifted a van off you?" His tone questioned my sanity, but itonly made me more suspicious. It was like a perfectly delivered line by a skilled actor. I merely nodded once, jaw tight.

"No-one will believe that, you know." His voice held an edge of derision now.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." I said each word slowly, carefully controlling my anger. Surprise flitted across his face.

"Then why does it matter?"

"It matters to me," I insisted.

"I don't like to lie — so there'd better be a good reason why I'm doing it."

"Can't you just thank me and get over it?"

"Thank you." I waited, fuming and expectant.

You're not going to let it go, are you?"

"No."

"In that case… I hope you enjoy disappointment." We scowled at each other in silence. I was the first to speak, trying tokeep myself focused. I was in danger of being distracted by his livid,glorious face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.

"Why did you even bother?" I asked frigidly. He paused, and for a brief moment his stunning face was unexpectedly vulnerable.

"I don't know," he whispered. And then he turned his back on me and walked away.


End file.
